


Girl Meets World

by Shy_Cat



Category: Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Feels, Funny, Gen, Sunshine - Freeform, Teen Pregnancy, rebel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:34:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shy_Cat/pseuds/Shy_Cat
Summary: Revel came with Lucas to New York, and they meet rebel Maya, cheery Riley, and genius Farkle. They learn about each other, life, and everything in between.Of course Revel has her own secrets. Secrets that she never wants anyone to find out. But as she gets to know the group better, maybe, just maybe,  she might be able to open up about her life.
Relationships: Isaiah "Zay" Babineaux & Lucas Friar, Isaiah "Zay" Babineaux & Lucas Friar & Maya Hart & Riley Matthews & Farkle Minkus, Isaiah "Zay" Babineaux & Maya Hart, Lucas Friar & Maya Hart, Maya Hart & Farkle Minkus, Maya Hart & Riley Matthews, Riley Matthews & Farkle Minkus
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!! This is also on Wattpad! My username is _ShyCat_ for if you want to read it on there. I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters

"You really want to do that?" I asked Lucas as he told me he would baby-sit Amabella.

"Wouldn't want to miss hanging out with my god-daughter." He smiled back at me, and opened the door to the classroom.

The teacher was already talking, "...don't know who you are." Then he saw us. "Who are you? I don't know who you are."

A brunette saw Lucas and turned to her blonde haired friend and whispered something like "Subway boy"

"Lucas Friar and Revel Tien from Austin, Texas." Lucas and I handed the teacher our transcripts.

"Oh, new student Mr. Friar and Miss Tien?"

"Yes sir." We answered at the same time.

"Great, you're just in time for today's assignment." He gestured for us to take a seat.

We took the two empty seats near the blonde and brunette. The brunette turned around and smiled at him.

The teacher picked up a piece of chalk and started talking again. "Ok, so we-" He turned around and saw the brunette staring at Lucas. He came over and made her turn back to the front. "So I'd like you guys to open your books to page 48." Everyone opened their history books to the correct page. "Now I'd like you guys to turn to page one." We all flipped back to page one. "Now I'd like you to read from page one to 48." Everyone groaned. The teacher waved his hand. "Oh, too bad on you." Then continued. "Okay for tonight's assignment, I'd like you to write me a three page essay on anything-- anything at all that you guys believe in so strongly that you'd fight for it."

"That!" The blonde girl sat up. "I'd fight for no homework. I come here everyday. Why can't you teach me everything I need to know while I'm here?" She had a point, but I knew girl's like her, and they tend to be very reckless. I was one.

The brunette chimed in, "Whoo!" The teacher looked at the brunette confused. "Not whoo." She sighed.

The blonde stood up, "He gets our days. Let's take back our nights. No homework, more freedom. Who's with me?" She smiled mischievously. Slowly she started to chant, "No homework, more freedom. No homework, more freedom. No homework, more freedom..." While everyone was chanting she turned to her brunette friend. "This is it, kid. You want to be like me, stand up." The blonde walked up and down the rows of seats chanting. Lucas and I looked at each other worried, we couldn't get in trouble again.

The brunette slowly stood up, and the teacher walked up to her, "Whatcha doing?" He asked.

"I'm making a choice about who I want to be, about whose world I want it to be."

The teacher looked desperate at this point, "Riley," Oh that's her name "I know you. You know exactly who you are."

"Who am I, Dad?" Well that's a plot twist. 

"You're just like me," He said kind of hopefully.

"Yeah?" She was getting mad now. "Would you do this?" And she joined in with all the chanting. She turned a small boy with a yellow turtleneck and a plaid shirt. "Farkle," I'm guessing that's his name, "You with us or not?" 

Everyone stood up and started marching out of class. Farkle stood up with them, but he looked distraught. "My education or my woman?" He asked himself. He kept repeating it to himself, until he looked at the teacher and went. "Oh, it's happening again, sir." Farkle fell back into the teacher's arms unconscious. The teacher dragged him out of the class just leaving me and Lucas.

"Maybe we won't stand out now?" I wondered out loud.

Lucas shrugged and grabbed his bag and went to follow everyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucas and I were looking for a spot to sit the next day at lunch. "..I told you didn't have to watch Amabella," I told him. He was still a little mad after Amabella puked all over him.

"Whatever," He shuddered. "Let's sit there." He motioned to the two girl's, Maya and Riley, waving us over.

As soon as we walked over and Lucas was about to take a seat in between Riley and Maya the scrawny kid, Farkle ran over, "Ladies," He spoke in what I guess was supposed to be a seductive tone. 

"Farkle," They both sighed in annoyance as Lucas and I left to find a new seat. 

We were about to sit down again when the seat at Riley and Maya's seat at their table opened. I sat across from them and Lucas sat in the middle of them.

"Hey," Lucas sat down.

"Hi," Riley smiled awkwardly. "You're sitting here."

Lucas and I looked at each other for a second feeling a sense of Deja Vu. "Is that okay?" I asked. Riley gave me a thumbs up and we both relaxed.

"Can you excuse me for just one sec?" Riley turned to Maya and started to freak out before turning back to Lucas like nothing ever happened.

"How you doing?" Mr. Matthews sat next to our table. Riley and Maya both stared at him almost silently pleading for him not to ruin this.

"Dad, you have a choice here." Riley spoke carefully. "You can either understand that this is just a boy talking to me in the cafeteria--"

Mr. Matthews cut her off, "I'm gonna do whatever you say next."

"But this is so innocent." Riley whined.

"Honey, fathers don't see anything as innocent." He pushed past Lucas. "We see it as.... What's the opposite of innocent?" His eyes flickered from Lucas to me for a quick second. Well shit, he knows our past.

"Right here!" Maya raised her hand up.

"Please don't embarrass me." Riley pleaded.

"I'm just going to talk to Mr. Friar and Miss. Tien about geography." He turned to Lucas and I. "You know, I've been to a lot of places, never been to Texas though. What part of Texas is closest to Mexico?"

"That'd be El Paso, sir."

"Great! Let's go right now." He dragged the backs of our chairs out of the cafeteria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hi, I'm glad you're back." Riley turned to the both of us as we sat down the next day.

"Hi, me too." Lucas smiled back, and I gave her a thumbs up before laying head on my desk. Amabella had a fever last night and wouldn't stop crying. I had to take her to the hospital and it took me hours to get a doctor to come look at her. By the time it was time for school, Amabella and I were just leaving the hospital, and dropping her off with Lucas's parents.

I started to doze off when Mr. Matthews ran over in our direction, and said "Hi," in a hushed tone. "Apparently you two have a better sense of direction than I anticipated." He pointed two fingers at us and the same two fingers back at him meaning I'm always watching you. "You are a really good-looking guy." He directed toward Lucas.

He walked back up to the class to start the lesson, and I dozed off again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke to water pouring on me. My heart rate was beating fast. Everything was moving in slow motion. Nobody was in the classroom, but Lucas, Maya, Riley, Farkle, and Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews seemed to be yelling at Maya, but I couldn't hear anything. All I could hear was the sirens going off and my brain wiring to when I last heard that noise.

"Revel!" Lucas shook me out of my trance. "Let's go, we're in New York now, not Texas."

He helped me stand up and walk out of class. I couldn't feel anything and I felt like I was going to pass out or go into a flashback or have a panic attack. Lucas pulled me aside and started to calm me down.

"You're fine," He said calmingly like he always does. "We are in New York not Texas." I took a deep breath and started to regain my senses. We are in New York not Texas. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucas had headed out to see Riley go make it her world or something? I don't know, his voice kind of drawn out from the cries of Amabella. Amabella still had a small fever. Mrs. Friar (Lucas's mom) said to just monitor carefully.

"You'll be okay Amabella." I rocked my daughter carefully and kissed her on the forehead. "We'll be okay."


	2. Girl Meets Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cory gives an assignment many people aren’t okay with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters

Lucas and I were in the hallway the next day. I was constantly checking my phone to see if Mrs. Friar had any updates on Amabella's condition. She was admitted to the hospital last night and her fever hit 103.2 degrees. Mrs. Friar, the saint she is, offered to stay with her while I went to school. Offering not technically the right word, more like dragged me all the way to school and ran off saying she would watch Amabella while I get my education.

Lucas on the other hand was texting Riley who was only ten feet away.

"Why don't you just go over and talk to her?" I asked.

He shrugged and went back to texting her. 

The bell rang which saved me from watching them flirt over text messages.

"Let's just go to class," I dragged him into the classroom.

Mr. Matthews started the lesson immediately. He held up his phone and began his lesson, "You guys don't connect with each other. It's like you can't exist without these. You use emoticons rather than emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies." I checked my phone again for any update. None. When I looked up Riley and Maya were pretending to be zombies. "Stop eating her!" Mr. Matthews said to the two. The two stopped.

Another student walked through the door. "You're late Miss Myzell."

"My goldfish died." She replied in a monotone voice.

"You see? This is what I'm talking about. Miss Myzell has clearly suffered a tragic loss. Yet she does not seem in touch with her emotions."

The girl scoffed. "'Scuze me? I am crying my eyes out. I'm going to have to leave class early." Then she walked out the door.

"Oh, she actually made it out the door this time." Mr. Matthews said, impressed. 

He opened the door to Miss Myzell who looked proud of herself. "I actually made it out the door this time!""

Riley spoke up, "Dad, adjust and deal. Cell Phones have been around for, like ever."

"It'll amaze you to know that there was a whole world before you and cellphones." 

Riley rolled her eyes, "And it'll amaze you to know that I have 394 friends in here." She held up her pink phone.

Mr. Matthews rolled his eyes right back. "And I'm amazed that you believe that." He walked back over to the board and started to draw. He drew a straight line across the blackboard. "This is a timeline of all human existence. Starting here is everyone who ever lived, laughed, loved, and understood the value of life. The cellphone era, which begins right around here," He drew a line toward the end of the board, "Pretty much destroys all of that. Way to go, you."

Lucas raised his hand, "Sir, if I may take a different position?"

Mr. Matthews turned around. "Yeah, save me, Mr. Friar. Did I go too far?"

I nodded my head, "Always, sir." Everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.

Lucas continued. "I understand your point, but I use my phone to video chat my old friends and to find out what's going on in Texas, and Revel uses her phone to check up on....." Lucas trailed for a second almost saying 'her daughter'. "Revel uses her phone to check up on her little sisters." I shot him a thankful look.

Maya smiled. "Yeah. How else can they keep tabs on all the hoedowns and cattle pageants?"

Riley leaned over, "Maya!"

Lucas and I shrugged, "It's okay, Riley." Lucas spoke. "I'm unaffected by Maya's views of country life. As my uncle Buster always says, 'Be like an eagle and soar above the mockingbird'."

Riley leaned toward Maya again. "You're the mockingbird."

"I know." She growled. She turned to face us. "It kills me that I can't get to you two."

I gave her a friendly smile, "Sorry, ma'am." Lucas and I pretended we had a cowboy hat on.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo." Maya growled again.

Farkle raised his hand, "Farkle time, sir?"

Mr. Matthews clapped his hands like a child. "Oh, I love Farkle time." Mr. Matthew took Farkle's seat and Farkle went up to where he was standing before.

"With all due respect to history, Mr. Matthews, what's important to our generation will be on this side of the timeline, when Farkle and technology rule." He spoke evilly. "And I'll easily be able to make another one of you," He pulled a piece of Riley's hair out. Who gasped in pain. "And another one of you," He pulled Maya's hair who glared at him and said 'ow'.

"Wait, so now there's four of us and one of you?" Riley asked confused.

"That's awesome," He whispered. "The future-- you can't escape it. I am Farkle!" He finished with a bow and he and Mr. Matthews traded places again.

"The assignment-- you can't escape it." Mr. Matthews said when he was at the front of the class again. "I am teacher. Okay, so here's what we're going to do, guys. We're going to split into teams and discover whether or not new technology has made us better people. You'll do presentations on your findings. And here's the twist-- no computers."

Farkel slammed his hands down on the desk. "What!" He screamed.

"We're going old school. You're going to do your research at the New York Public Library." Mr. Matthews informed us.

Maya turned to Riley, "Where?"

"And here's another twist because I trust you not at all-- give me your cellphones." I started to panic. I needed my cell phone. What if Amabella's condition changed and I needed to go straight to the hospital, but since I didn't have my phone I didn't know and Amabella died. 

Maybe Mr. Matthew would let me keep my phone? I thought hopefully.

Apparently I missed something in my time of panicking because all the phones were on Mr. Matthew's desk except for mine. "Come on, Miss Tien, hand up your cell phone." I kept my phone clutched in my hand. 

"Can I t-talk to you after class?" I stuttered. My heart was racing. I can't miss a single update from Mrs. Friar about Amabella.

Mr. Matthews must have sensed my worry because he nodded and moved on. "Okay, so our teams for this assignment-- Maya--" Mr. Matthews was cut off by Farkle who ran into Maya's arms.

"What up!" He tried to act cool while he sat in her lap. 

Maya pushed him off her lap. "And Riley," Mr. Matthews continued. "You will be with--No!" He said when he saw Lucas waving over at Riley. "No!" he yelled again, but he couldn't do anything else because the bell rang.

Everyone else left, but I stayed behind. "Revel I know you're attached to your phone, but you have to turn it in for this assignment."

"I k-know sir, but it's Amabella...." I took a deep breath, "My daughter, she's uh she's in the hospital and Lucas's mom is supposed to be updating me about her condition." My eyes started to water. "I swear I won't use it for anything else, I just want to keep it on me for if there is any change. Please sir." Tears were falling down my cheeks as I begged Mr. Matthews.

"Of course Revel, yes you can keep your phone." he hugged me and I cried some more.

"I just... with everything that happened back in Texas... I just don't want to keep failing at parenting."

He looked me in the eyes, "It may not feel like it, but you are doing an awesome job at parenting." I nodded and whipped my eyes before heading to my next class. 

"Hey watch out for Riley and Lucas, will you?"

"Of course," I nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey soaring eagles, you walkin' with us to the library tonight?" Maya greeted us in between classes.

"Sure, if that's good with you guys." Lucas and I shrugged.

"Well, seeing as how you're Riley's partners on this assignment, I guess we should find out if that's okay with her." Maya turned to Riley. "Riley?"

Riley stared at Lucas. Maya tried again. "Riley, any thoughts on this that might come out of your mouth in word form? No, because you don't have your phone anymore, so what are you going to do to communicate? I wonder." Riley gave Lucas two thumbs up. "Oh, look at that. Two thumbs up from Riley, and a smiley face."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had no update on Amabella still, and it was killing me. I stopped by the hospital earlier, but there was no change in her condition. Mrs. Friar was such an angel she bought me a snack while I held my four month old baby, and agreed to stay with her while I went to the library to study.

We all were walking around the library in awe. Back in Texas our libraries contained only world records. This library was filled with novels and biographies and dictionaries. So many books!

"What is this place?" Riley asked in either disgust or awe.

"This is where the ancients stored all their wisdom." Farkle looked around

"Look at all of those..." Maya said.

"Books?" I supplied.

"Books." Riley and Maya repeated together.

"Look," Lucas pulled a book off the shelf and blew off all the dust. "Tales of Human Interaction."

Maya shrugged. "We'll take it. Thanks quickdraw." Maya sat down at one of the desks and put the book in the middle. "Farkle, do whatever you do with that."

"You mean read?" I asked.

"Chapter one," Farkle started.

Maya interrupted, "Ugh, I'm bored out of my mind, let's go see a movie."

"Shh!" Someone shushed us suddenly.

"Ahh!" We all jumped back in surprise at the old lady staring at us.

"There's one of those ancients now." Farkle pointed at the lady.

We all walked toward the lady. "Oh, wondrous gatekeeper of the knowledge," Farkle started. "We are travelers from another time and place."

"Seventh grade middle school." Riley jumped in.

"We wish to partake of this information from your great hall of wisdom." I said while looking at all the wondrous books.

"Do you rent phones?" Riley asked a little too loud.

"Shh!" She shushed us again.

"There's no one here but us." 

"Why do we have to shush?"

"Let me handle this, Maya." Farkle pushed Maya aside. "She obviously likes it quiet. Hello, book lady." Farkle tried to be seductive again, but failed.... Again.

"Well, hello." She finally said something. "And who might you be?"

"I might be Farkle."

"Would you do me a favor, Farkle?"

"Oh, you know I will."

"Why don't you go over there and... shh!" She pointed to the corner of the library.

"Well, that's disappointing." I mumbled.

We walked back to the table where we were at before and tried the book thing again. Lucas and Riley stood in the corner awkwardly talking to each other.

"This chapter is called 'Disconnect to Connect.'" Farkle started.

"'Not until we put down our phones, switch off our computers, and look into each other's eyes will we be able to touch each other's hearts.'" I read.

"Yeah, like that's going to work on anybody." Maya scoffed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"People used to need places like this. Now we can hold everything that's here in a little device we can put in our pockets. I don't even need to look out this window to know what phase the moon is in or what the stars are." Farkle rambled off to Maya and I while Maya sketched something and I picked at the rip in my jeans.

"Yeah, well, I don't have a phone like that." Maya informed Farkle not to look up from her sketch.

"I don't either," I shrugged, trying not to look up or remember the times when I did have a cool phone. "We just have to look at the actual sky."

"Oh, I'm sorry for you two." Farkle patted our backs. "You're at a real disadvantage. That can be the basis for our presentation, okay? Want to read back the notes?"

"What notes?" Maya asked and I looked up confused.

"You weren't taking notes?" Farkle questioned Maya.

"No." Maya and I shook our heads.

"You know, why bother? Without a computer all we have is a pencil and a pad. What could we possibly do with that?" Farkle grabbed the notepad out of Maya's hands.

Then he saw the masterpiece she was working on. "Maya, I had no idea."

Maya shrugged. "Yeah, Neither did I."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After studying I headed back to the hospital where I was told that Amabella would be released the next day. I even convinced Mrs. Friar to let me spend the night at the hospital. I missed my daughter so much all day, and it was killing me to not be with her.

Amabella was asleep, but I held her anyway and stared at her while she slept. I understood what Mr. Matthews was trying to teach us. Nothing compared to the moment in real life instead of on the phone. My heart would still lurch if I heard her Amabella cooing over the phone, but not in person. I can't feel the same way as I would if it was on my phone.


	3. Girl Meets Sneak Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley needs help on flirting.

Amabella was at home now, and she spit up all over me. Lucas was laughing at me as I tried to clean the milk off. "Shut it, Lucas." I rolled my eyes. I turned to Amabella, "And you, no more puking on people." I tickled her stomach.

"Go change your shirt, Revel. We have to get to school." Lucas walked over to Amabella and put her in the pack-in-play in the living room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked over to Maya and Riley to see Riley reaching up to the sky. "What she doing?" I asked Maya pointing at Riley.

"She's thriving," Maya didn't blink an eye.

I shrugged and walked into history class to see Missy flirting with Lucas. Oh so that's why he was in a rush to get to school.

I saw Maya walk in but immediately rush out. Definitely stalling Riley. Then I see Riley walk in, see Missy and Lucas and walk back out her mouth practically hanging to the floor.

Mr. Matthews walked in and as soon as everyone was seated, he started the class. "Sneak attack-- December 7th, 1941."

Farkle spoke up, "'A date which will live in infamy.'"

"A date?" Riley looked up looking distraught. "They're going on a date?" I looked back to see Missy still flirting with Lucas. "In Italy?"

Maya leaned over to rub her shoulder, "No, honey. You're in history."

"I'm history?" Riley asked.

Maya and I sighed. I tried this time, "Okay, put your hand up." Maya helped her raise her hand.

"Yes, Riley?" Mr. Matthews called on her. "You have a pertinent observation on the subject of the sneak attack?"

"May I be excused?" I whisper in her ear, and Maya pulls her arm down.

"My eyes see my shoes."

Mr. Matthews thankfully understood where she was getting at, "Yes, Riley, you may be excused."

"Forever?" She asked hopefully.

"No you have to come back at some point, honey." He said, "You just have to."

Riley dragged herself out of the seat and into the hallway. As she rounded the corner she could see Missy 'booping' Lucas's nose. I nudged Maya who tried to interfere, but it was too late.

"Boop?!" Riley marched in. "That's the best you got?"

Maya sat lower in her seat mumbling, "Please be cool. Please be cool. Please be cool."

"You don't think that I can do boop?" Riley continued. 

I put my head down on my desk, this was not going to end well. 

Maya turned around to face me, "How bad do you think this is going to be?"

I shrugged still watching it all play out.

"I can do boop like you've never seen." She turned around and yelled. "Boop!" When we looked at where her hand went, it instead of being on the tip of his nose, her finger was in her nose.

"Does anybody see this?" Riley asked, embarrassed.

Missy chuckled, "Everybody sees this."

"Take your finger out," Maya yelled at her.

Riley didn't move, "Can't. Can't move. Scared." I slapped myself in the face. "Do you think Lucas knows?" Riley continued. I banged my head on my desk trying to get this scene to stop.

"Riley, I've never seen anything like this before. I don't know what's going to happen." Maya shrugged.

"Farkle?" Riley turned to Farkle.

"Boy, Riley. I don't think I could do that even if I tried." Farkle stood up. "Hey, Maya, boop!" He too ended up with his finger up her nose. "Uh, oh."

"The bombing of Pearl Harbor was our official entrance into a world at war, and nothing would ever be the same." Mr. Matthews finished his lecture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night Amabella cried her head off. I did everything I could think of. I fed her, changed her, took her on a walk, read to her, sang to her, watched T.V. with her. At least in the midst of her tantrum Lucas nor his mother or father woke up.

About an hour before I was supposed to get ready for school did she finally pass out from screaming and crying.

I drank three cups of coffee, but I was still running on one hour of sleep so when I fell asleep in Mr. Matthews class, I'm not surprised I got detention.

Mr. Matthews did allow me to get the nurse and sleep during lunch though, so I can't be mad. 

Apparently something juicy happened at lunch and I missed it, and no one decided to fill me in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In detention sat Maya, Riley, Lucas, and Missy. Ooh this must be the juicy gossip thing that happened.

"Okay guys," Mr. Matthew stood up after everyone was seated. "I like my detention to have a little learning in it. So we are going to continue learning about Pearl Harbor, and what happened after the sneak attack. The world was at war and alliances were forged in battle, and were made stronger because of that." Farkle ran into the room at that moment cutting off his lecture.

"Thank you Farkle!" I prayed.

"What is this place?" He asked.

"It's detention, Farkle. It's not for you." Mr. Matthews explained.

"If my friends are in it, then it's for me." Farkle took a seat next to me.

"During this war, the United States was put to one of its greatest tests, when it met a threat to our way of life but because we were united we prevailed."

Lucas smiled, and I caught on to what he was doing. "Hey Riley, Missy invited me to see a movie with her."

"I think she's aware of that, Lucas." Missy laughed. "No need to make her feel worse."

Lucas ignored her, "And I was wondering if maybe you guys would like to come along with us?"

"You want us?" Riley's usual smile grew brighter.

Lucas nodded, but before he could say anything Missy cut him off. "Uh uh, I'm sorry, Lucas. That wasn't the invitation."

"Oh!" Lucas acted surprised. "Well then, I'm sorry Missy, I can't go."

"What are you talking about?" Missy stared at him like a deer in headlights. "Nobody's ever turned me down in my life."

"Well, see these are my friends, and I don't like doing anything without my friends." He took a second to look at all of us. "Right, Riley?"

"Yeah," Riley nodded with him.

"Now I certainly appreciate your wanting me to care for you during a scary movie, and you showing me your leg and all, but back here in the seventh grade, I think maybe we'd have more fun just hanging out together."

"Boop!" Maya mocked her.

Missy grabbed her stuff and marched out of detention, "Grow up!" She told us before leaving.

"Not... yet." I yelled after her.

"Oh, she's leaving? Okay" Mr. Matthews shrugged.

"Hey," Riley turned to Lucas.

"Hey,"

"You know the easiest thing about having friends is?"

"What?"

"Sometimes all you have to do is trust them."

Mr. Matthews continued his lecture as if there was no interruption at all. "When peace time came the United States enjoyed its greatest period of growth, prosperity, and happiness."


	4. Girl Meets Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school dance holds problems for Cory and Riley and brings flashbacks to Revel.

"So you're asking her father for permission first?" I rocked Amabella back and forth as Lucas explained how he was going to ask out Riley.

"Yep," He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but his left ear was twitching which meant he was freaking out.

"It's going to be fine," I reassured him. "Look let me go get my makeup on, and put Amabella down, then we can head off to school and figure it out from there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucas practically bounced down the stairs dragging me with him. "Lucas!' Riley raised her hand and waved at him.

"Hand," Maya told her. 

Riley dropped her hand, and tried again. "Lucas!"

"Grown up voice." Maya stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Lucas, hello" She walked up to us.

"Hey, hee-haw and cowgirl," Maya greeted us. "You guys going to tick tock shake your body time? 'Cause, you know, it's not a square-dance, so not gonna be a whole lot of do-si-doin'."

I smiled sweetly at her, "Well, then I'm sure we'll have no idea what to do and you can make fun of us."

Maya pointed at me. "You're not playing this right!"

Lucas shook her finger that was pointing at us, "Well, that's certainly not my intention."

"We'll try harder next time." I chimed in.

"I will break you!" 

"Well, if that's what makes you happy," I shrugged. "Then I certainly can't wait for it....." I pretended to tip my 'cowboy' hat.

Maya shuddered, "Ohhhh!"

"You going to the school dance, Lucas?" Riley asked him.

"Thought I would. You?"

Maya pretended to gag in the background. "You hear me? You'll both be there. He'll be the one in the cowboy hat going like this." She pretended to do a cowboy dance.

The school bell rang, saving me from watching more of her dance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Friar, Farkle, Hart, Tien, you" Mr. Matthews glared at Riley as she walked through the door.

"What's going on with them?" I asked Maya.

"Matthew has a crazy tradition that he and Riley have on Friday, but Friday..." Maya trailed off.

"The school dance," I realized.

"Well, guys, I've got your tests results on Darwin to give back to you, and, uh, I'm pleased to see some of you have evolved since the last quiz." Farkle was the only one to laugh at his joke.

"Thanks Farkle."

"Well you were drowning sir." Farkle shrugged, and Mr. Matthews started to hand out the tests. "Ms. Hart," He handed Maya her test paper, and her face fell. "Mr. Friar, Ms. Tien nice work." He handed Lucas and my paper's back. I got a B+ which is better than my usual C-'s or D+. "Mr. Farkle!" 

As Farkle saw his grade he yelled out, "'A' number seven hundred. Huzzah!" And pulled out a noise maker.

"You," Mr. Matthews couldn't even look at Riley, it started to remind me of my own father when he found out.

I could feel myself being sucked into a flashback, I reached out to grab Lucas's arm, but I couldn't figure out if I got his attention or not because my vision went black.

"You dirty nasty whore!" My father screamed at me, and threw another piece of furnisher in my direction.

I didn't have time to dodge the lamp being thrown at me, and clutched my arm as a piece of hot glass from the light bulb stuck out of my skin. "Ahh!" I cried out.

"You deserve that!" Dad yelled, and threw a chair at me. I ducked in time to miss most of the chair, but a leg or two hit my head.

Softly I could hear the siren's front the distance. My hopes raised a little in hope that it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me, and I would be saved from Dad.

Dad heard them too, and pushed me up against the wall, and started to choke me, "You irresponsible, idiot...." The rest of his words were quieted as I was brought to the present.

I was in the nurse's office in a cot, and Lucas sat next to me, probably waiting for me to get up.

"How long?" I mumbled long enough for him to hear.

"Forty minutes." He sighed. "Same one?" I nodded tears rolling down my cheeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't go to the dance that Friday, I laid in bed with Amabella laying my stomach. I watched as her chest moved up and down against mine. She was my daughter. She was my heart. I would never hurt her, the way my father hurt me.


	5. Girl Meets The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth is better then lies.

It was the school play, Riley was one of the main characters and so was Lucas. Surprise! It was also a love story. 

"Eyes, look at your last. Arms, take your last embrace." Lucas knelt down to the wooden block Riley was laying on, and put his head in his arms. "And, lips, oh, you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss." 

Lucas leaned forward to kiss her when Farkle ran on the stage in a knight costume and yelled, "Back off!"

Lucas looked confused, "What meanest thou.. Spear carrier?" He stood up, "Who hasn't no lines."

In a terrible accent Farkle spoke, "You tried to kiss my woman. This I cannot allow. Prepare to die!"

Riley rolled her eyes and Lucas scoffed, "Farkle, what are you doing? It's 'Romeo and Juliet'." 

"Well, now it's 'Romeo and Juliette and Farkle'. I play Farkle." Farkle looked very proud of himself.

Lucas looked at me in the audience, he is definitely getting annoyed now. "Dude, I'm supposed to kiss the girl. Shakespeare said."

Farkle turned to the audience, "Who thinks the spear carrier should finally get to kiss Juliet?" I sunk lower in my seat as the audience cheered.

Maya stood up and started to yell, "Yeah, you kiss that girl, you crazy spear carrier!" She was enjoying this.

Farkle hit the fake spear against the floor, "Hark! You cometh uppeth here and getteth kissed too."

Everyone cheered, and Maya walked up on to the stage taking in all the cheers. Maya went over to the wooden block and laid next to Riley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone cheered for the actors in the hallway, and then Farkle walked by and all the cheers slowed down. Riley clapped a little louder and reluctantly everyone else joined in.

"Thank you. Thank you, Farkle nation!" Farkle thanked everyone.

As the clapping slowed down Maya called out to him, "Farkle, come here."

Riley stopped her from saying anymore though, "Maya, don't. He thinks he was good."

"Yeah, we're going to fix that." I jumped in.

"But you can't tell him the truth." Riley begged. "You'll crush him."

"Oh, we can tell him the truth." Maya motioned to the two of us.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's you who can't tell him the truth because you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid. I'm nice." Riley explained.

"You're saying we're not nice?" I faked a look of hurt.

Riley shook her head, "No, I'm afraid to say that."

"Tell him the truth. You know Farkle." I said. "You know what will happen if one of us doesn't tell him."

Riley understood and walked over to Farkle who was signing an autograph, "Farkle." Farkle looked up and handed the piece of paper he was signing back to the owners. "You were so-- what are the best words?"

"He killed the play." I hinted. "Those are the best words."

"Those are the only words. You killed the play." Maya turned to Riley, "Tell him."

Farkle looked confused, "What? What does she mean?"

"She means you killed it, Farkle!" Riley faked enthusiasm. "You killed it! Showbiz talk."

"Actually I thought I ruined the play." Oh thank god he already knows. "If you would've told me I ruined the play, I would have believed you." Riley opened her mouth as if to speak, but Farkle continued to speak, "I would have been crushed, but I would've believed you." 

Riley sighed, "How could I crush one of the best actors working in middle school today?" Maya and I glared at her.

"I'm a good actor? What if I'm better than good? What if I'm great? What if I'm the greatest actor who ever lived, and I never knew it? That would be sad. Wah. It's okay, it's okay. I was acting. Thanks, Riley, my public awaits." Farkle ran off. This is what I was afraid of.

"You can't lie to him, Riley." Maya groaned. 

"Yeah, you're gonna break our little Farkle." I sighed.

"Oh, I will not. I didn't do anything." Riley said oblivious. "This will all go away." Just as she said that Farkle ran back into the hallway tap dancing.

"And I think.. You broke him." Maya walked into history class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Nice locket. Nice bracelet." Riley complemented Maya's and I's new jewelry.

"You likey?" We spoke at the same time.

"If history's about discovering the truth of what happened in the past, we should spend some time finding out what truth is." Mr. Matthews started his lecture.

"Where'd you get the nice locket?" Riley asked Maya.

"Yeah, and where'd you get the bracelet?" Lucas asked me, afraid I was falling back into my old habits. 

"Shh, I come here to learn." Maya shushed Riley, and turned around and shushed Lucas. We all burst out laughing.

"All through history, people have suffered consequences for telling the truth."

"Is that gold?" Riley asked the two us.

I shrugged, and Maya said, "Don't know. Doesn't matter."

"They all suffered dearly for having the courage to tell the truth." 

"So sometimes it's better not to?" Riley asked Mr. Matthews.

"But aren't there consequences for that too, sir?" I asked.

"Yes, there are, Ms. Tien." He paused. "But in my experience with the universe, no matter what you do, the truth always finds a way of coming out." The bell rang at the moment and I grabbed my stuff to leave.

Lucas grabbed my arm in the hallway. "Where'd you get the bracelet?"

"Look, if you're worried about me falling back into my old habits, you have nothing to worry about."

"But where'd you get it?"

"Why does it matter to you?" I rolled my eyes and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maya and I went through Riley's window. "There was a sneaky pigeon following us." Maya greeted Riley.

"How you doing?" Riley sat up on her bed. "Hey, here's a new thing. Where'd you guys get your new jewelry?"

I tried to change the subject, "He's a very sneaky pigeon, but I'm onto him."

Riley didn't fall for it. "Because they're gold, it's expensive, and my curiosity gets the better of me."

I tried to change the subject again. "So we ducked behind the tree to fake out the pigeon and you know who came over? A squirrel. We didn't say hello though, because we were already in our thing with the pigeon." I laughed a little.

"I need to know if you guys are stealing things." Lucas better not have told her about what happened in Texas. He promised what goes on in Texas stays in Texas.

"You don't think my dad sends me stuff?" Maya was getting pissed now.

"I had friends back in Texas, you don't think they sent me things?" I defended myself.

"Maya, you've cried to me because you're dad doesn't send you stuff, and Revel, Lucas told me you didn't have friends back in Texas besides Lucas."

"Sometimes I walk around the village and I pass stores and I look in windows at things I know I'll never have." Maya shrugged trying to hold back her tears. "So one day, Revel and I saw these pieces of jewelry sitting in a lost-and-found basket. Do you think it's right that somebody loses something so beautiful and never comes back for it?"

"Who knows? I don't have a criminal mind." I felt like crying. Sure Riley didn't know my past, but she's hitting way too close to home. "I don't think like you people."

"I walked by the window for months. Nobody claimed the locket or the bracelet, okay? It sat there like a kid that has no-- like an orphan." Maya tried explaining to Riley. 

"So we claimed it. It's ours now." I finished off.

"It's not." Maya and I walked back over to the window. "You took something that doesn't belong to you."

"How come you don't tell Farkle the truth, but you have no trouble telling us?" I asked. Then the pigeon that was following us fell into the window. "And you, stop judging us."

"My father tells my mother the truth even when he knows she's gonna shove a chicken in his face."

"Sorry I missed it." Maya apologized.

"Yep, I was thinking about you."

"Thanks."

"'Cause I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love chicken pot pie." I added in since no one was paying attention to me. 

"Then why do you want to end up in the slammer?"

"Here we go." I rolled my eyes.

"You won't do well in the slammer." I wanted to add in the fact that I've been in the slammer and I did pretty well. 

"We will so!" Maya wrapped her arm around me.

"You won't pack right, and you'll forget to bring shower shoes and you'll take someone else's from the lost-and-found. And I think... you're gonna get toe fungus! And I think you deserve to get toe fungus because they're not your shower shoes." Riley started to cry. "They're not!"

I pointed at Riley and looked at Maya. "That's adorable."

"I think you're a thief."

"That's not," I sighed.

"You think I'm afraid to tell people the truth? I'm not, and I now await your praise." Riley held out her arms, but both Maya and I climbed out the window ignoring her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why did you take the bracelet?" Lucas yelled at me.

"Look I just wanted to feel special!"

"How did that amount to you stealing the bracelet?"

"Someone spent a bunch of money to make someone feel special, I just wanted to feel like I was that person," I was crying now. Lucas leaned forward and hugged me. 

"You are that person to me. You are one of the most important people in my life."


	6. Girl Meets Popular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New party. New Riley

Riley and Maya were hoping they'd get invited to the 'cool' party. If I got invited to the party, there was no way in hell I'd be able to go.  
  
Riley was saying her goodbyes to Maya because she was afraid she wasn't gonna get an invite and Maya was when the 'Pretty-boy-hipster' walked over handed Riley an invitation. Just Riley, not Maya. Maya didn't seem upset though so she must know something about these parties.   
  
"Boom!" Riley slammed her invitation down on Mr. Matthews' desk.

"You got invited to something?"

"So much for genetics, baby!"

"Ooh, seventh grade party. Yup, I didn't get invited to a whole lot of these." Mr. Matthews looked down for a second. "Good for you. I'm proud of you. Boy-girl party?"

"Yup."

Then at the same time both Mr. Matthews and Riley leaned forward and screamed, "You can't go!"

"May I approach?" Maya asked. Oh yeah there was something she knew about this party. "I'm gonna keep your young'un out of trouble, sir."

"Hart, you are trouble." Mr. Matthews protested. "Why would I want my young'un anywhere near the same party you're gonna be at?"

"You wouldn't. Say it. You know you wanna say it."

"You can't go if Maya's invited." Maya and Riley smiled at each other.

"Maya's not invited."

"Then you may go." Maya told Riley.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Riley bounced back to her seat and Mr. Matthews was still trying to wrap his head around what happened.

As soon as he got his head around it, he started the lecture. "So there's this guy Damocles who really wants to be king. One day he gets an invitation to come sit on the throne and actually hang with royalty."

"No!" Riley yelled at her father.

"'Sup, Riles. Pop's lesson hitting a little close to home?" I asked her.

"Nope, what he's saying has nothing to do with me. Yes, I've been invited to hang with middle-school royalty, but nothing bad could ever happen." As Riley said this Mr. Matthews looked in my direction.

"I'm sure you're right." He sighed. "Farkle!"

"When Damocles sat on the throne he noticed a sword hanging over it, held up by a single tiny thread."

"Revel." Mr. Matthews called on me.

"Be careful what you wish for."

"Why?"

"Being what other people want you to be is just a sword hanging over your head."

"Good. Riley?"

"Nothing to do with me!" She held her hands up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Maya, Mr. Matthews, and I walked with Riley to the destination of the party. Riley was dancing very oddly, but then again. When is she not?

"Well looky here, teacher daddy!" Riley danced. "Nothing hanging over my head.Except this here halo of popularity. And YAY for you, my two best friends, for watching me with a smile."

"Yeah, we're smiling, we're watching." Maya said as 'Pretty-hipster-boy' walked by and entered the apartment where the party is at.

Riley did another dance.

"All right, all right. Half an hour you can stay. I'm waiting right here." As Riley rang the doorbell, Mr. Matthews turned to us. "I changed my mind. I want you two in there. Protect your friend."

"Can't do that, sir. Wasn't invited." I explained.

"Why is that exactly?"

"About to find out, sir." Maya told him.

I grabbed his shoulder, "Smile. Watch."

Then Farkle opened the door and yelled, "Greetings fellow party-goer."

"Farkle?" Riley looked confused.

"Starting to become clear, sir?" We asked him.  
"Oh, yeah. I'm smiling real big."

"Announcing the arrival of party guest number six. Female number one." Farkle entered her in.

"I'm a female, Farkle." A girl with two braids tried to tell him.

"You getting this yet?" Maya smiled.

"But Pretty boy--pretty boy's still here." Riley pointed to the 'pretty boy'.

"Wait for it." Maya and I mumbled.

Just as we said that pretty boy took off his coat revealing two geeks on each other's shoulders.

"That's the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life." Mr. Mattews laughed.

"It's a geek party." Riley explained.

"We know, honey." Maya and I laughed.

"Everybody welcome Riley." Farkle announced. 

Everyone greeted her in their own weird way.

"Honey, stay an hour, stay a week, stay forever. Just enjoy." Mr. Matthews turned to Maya and me. "Hey, you know what would make this just perfect for me?"

Just then one of the geeks said, "Have you noticed the lightsaves hanging from the ceiling precariously above our heads?"

"Damocles." Riley muttered.

"There it is!" Mr. Mattews laughed.

"I know," Maya chuckled.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I walked into history late, I realized why Maya was so mad at Farkle.

"What the heck?" Riley had rainbow hair, and weird looking clothes on.

"Father may we continue with the lesson?" Riley asked as I was seated. "I seek knowledge."

I leaned over to Maya. "I'm going to take a nap, and when I wake up, she better be back to normal."  
I laid my head down on the desk and passed out immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day in class was no better. This time all the geeks were dressed up as weirdly as Riley was.

"..As you can see, I am quite the influence on them." Riley was saying as I entered the room.

"Maya? Revel?" Mr. Matthews came up to us. 

"She's..." Maya stuttered. 

"Gone, sir." I finished for Maya and took my seat.

"Yes, she is." Farkle nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, we're going to take one last shot at this while I believe Riley is still in there." I said as Maya and I crawled through Riley's window. "And not completely under the spell of--" I trailed off and looked at the other side of the bay window to see Farkle sitting there.

"Ladies." He pointed a finger gun at us.

"Farkle!" Maya grabbed Farkle and threw him on the ground.

"She's one of us now, Maya and Revel!" Farkle escaped from Maya's clutches.

I pulled him down again. "She's one of me and Maya, Farkle!"

Farkle somehow grabbed the both of us and pulled us down with him. "You're not letting her reach her full potential."

We pulled Riley over where we were at. "The world we know wants you to be yourself. In our world-- It needs you in it." Maya told Riley.

Farkle turned her around to face him, "You're one of us now, and I've decided to prove it. By letting you help the John Quincy Adams' spelling-bee team to the regional finals."

"Really?" Riley asked him.

"I'm right about you, Riley. I know I am."

"Thank you, Farkle." Riley turned back to me and Maya. "Sorry, Maya and Revel. The world wants what the world wants, and right now the world wants me like this."

"This isn't over, Farkle." I glared at Farkle.  
"I'm not scared."

"Oh, really?" I smiled sweetly at him before I pushed him on the floor. Then he reached up and pulled the both of us down. 

"Guys, what about me?" Riley asked, and all three of us pulled down to the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome," Mr. Matthews greeted us all. The classroom was set up like a courtroom; adults were in the room with us. "To this qualifying round of the city regional spelling-bee." Oh, that's why the room's like that. I need to start paying attention more. "Between our own John Quincy Adams Middle School..." Some people started to clap. "And Einstein Academy." More people started to clap.

"Formidable opponents.. And Smackle." Farkle said to the other team.

The same girl that was at that party with braids glared and Farkle. "I will destroy you."

"I am energy, you can't destroy energy." Farkle refuted. "Ha!"

Riley walked up to the podium ready for her first word. "Okay, Miss Matthews.. You're first word is--" Maya walked into the room with a pink slip of paper and handed it to Mr. Matthews who was reading the words out loud. "Maya, you can't--" He tried to tell her.

"Check out the word, Mr. Matthews." Maya came over to me and waited for him to look at it.

"Maya, what are doing?" Riley asked her.

"Hey, Farkle's not the only one with a master plan." Maya shrugged.

"Miss Matthews, your word is harajuku."

"May I have the meaning of the word?" Riley asked confused.

"Oh, you don't know?" I looked at her. "Then let us tell you."

"It's a real neighborhood in Japan, where authentic Japanese girls have created an authentic look and life for themselves. That is unique to them." Mr. Matthews explained. 

"Country of origin?"

"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Matthews sighed in frustration.

"Can I hear it in a sentence?"

I stepped forward. "Yeah, 'Stop pretending to be a harajuku girl.' Because you're not. You're Riley. R-I-L-E-Y."

"Five seconds, Miss Matthews or you're eliminated."

"What do you mean 'eliminated'?"

Farkle stood up. "It means you wouldn't be a part of the group anymore."

"Harajuku," Riley started. "Something I'm N-O-T. Sorry Farkle. It was a lovely party and your friends are really pretty cool."

"We are?" They all looked at each other. "We've never been called that before."

"Thank, Riley." Farkle thanked her. "We feel the same way about you."

Mr. Matthews rang the bell and Riley came over to Maya and me.

"Well, I guess we're back to where popularity is gonna be kind of hard, huh?" She said to us.

"I wouldn't know," I shrugged. "And let's not try so hard to find out."


	7. Girl Meets Maya’s Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya’s mother shows up for Career Day

We were in art when Farkle burst through the door in a robe, "Why draw fruit? Let's draw a real work of art. That's right. Check out forty-eight pounds of nasty." He tore his robe off and everyone turned away expecting him to be naked. Nope, he had a full body suit underneath.

"Well... looky here. The male.... Physique." The art teacher laughed.

"Why thank you, art lady."

"Why aren't we drawing Lucas?" Riley asked. 

The art teacher looked over in me and Lucas's direction. Lucas looked at her, almost pleading her not to make him the model.

"Because nobody looks like that." She shrugged, and walked back over to Farkle "Get used to this. When drawing a Farkle start with the eyes."

"I think the eyes should go straight to the gun show." Farkle flexed his non-existent muscles.

"Revel, we're supposed to draw Farkle." Lucas looked at my sheet of paper. I had a picture of Medusa, the ancient greek monster who turned people into stones with her eyes. It was a curse she was given by Athena after Posiedon and her were caught in Athena's temple.

"I am." I pointed to the background where statues were littered behind Medusa (my main subject). I had drawn a Farkle in there.

"It's beautiful, Revel." The art teacher came over. "Your artwork would be great for the art exhibit."

I smiled, "Eh, the principal already said I can't display my work because it's all 'mythology and nothing else.'" I quoted the principal. The teacher laughed and moved on to look at other people's artwork.

Farkle started to leave. "Where are you going, Farkle?" I asked. 

"Gym class. That should go well, right?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"All right, future history makers, welcome to career day." Also known as the day I sit awkwardly at my desk while I hear about everyone else's parents. "Now there are a lot of ways to make your mark on the world."

As he said that Riley's mother, Topapanga, walked into the classroom. "Hey, Riley."

"Oh great, Shakira is here." At least her mother showed up. Riley turned to Maya and me. "Where's your mom and your parents?"

"She won't be coming." Maya sighed.

"Mine can't come."

"But she told you she was coming?" She looked at Maya than me. "Why won't your parents be coming? Aren't they proud of you?"

"Yes, she did." Maya rolled her eyes.

Lucas stepped in so I didn't have to answer the question directed to me. "We don't really talk about Revel's parents."

"Okay, guys, our first guest today is a lawyer, and I likes her." Mr. Matthews smiled at Mrs. Matthews. "Hey, lawyer lady. How about we go out sometime? I get off work everyday at 3:15... except Tuesday. I got playground."

Topanga started to talk about her job, "So I am an attorney. I got here through a lot of hard work in school. By the time I was your age, I had 350 'A''s."

As she said that the other door to the classroom opened and Riley kept saying something about Maya's mom. It wasn't Maya's mom but some other dude who walked straight up to Farkle.

I dazed out thinking about what would happen if my mom hadn't thrown me out or started drinking like her life depended on it. What kind of parent career days she was going to.

"..... Helicopter problems. 'Cause I have a helicopter." Farkle's father was saying. "Do you have a helicopter, Corey?"

"No. Do you have a Topanga, Minkus?"

"Nope, because she chose you. I run Minkus International, I have a helicopter, and she chose you."

"Stuart, please." Topanga broke up the two boy's arguing. "Aren't we a little too evolved to still be competing with each other?"

Mr. Minkus laughed. "Of course."

Then at the same time both of them yelled, "Go!"

"Between the two of us, Riley and I have 1260 'A''s. Ha!" Topanga yelled out first.

"That's remarkable, Topanga." Farkle got up to stand by his father. "Between the two of us, Farkle and I have 1261. Hah!"

I took this as a great time to fall asleep. Nothing to learn. My parents aren't here, and I won't get in trouble for sleeping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Koren War." Mr. Matthews yelled out as class started.

"Genghis Khan." Farkle yelled back.

"What?" Mr. Matthews looked confused so I'm guessing Genghis Khan had nothing to do with The Koren War.

"I just wanted to see what would happen." Farkle shrugged.

The door opened and a waitress walked in. "Hello, Cory Matthews. I am so sorry for interrupting."

Maya put her head down on her desk in embarrassment. 

"Nothing to forgive, Katy." Mr. Matthews turned to all of us. "Class, this is Maya's mother, Katy Hart."

Katy waved at us all. "Mom, what are you doing? It was yesterday." Maya sighed.

"Yesterday I was unable to attend your little job fair."

"Career day," I muttered under my breath.

"Yesterday I was trapped.... In my vehicle... in the rushing flood waters of the mighty Colorado River! To make matters worse, I just found out I was about to have a baby any second. So I crawled myself through the sunroof and I said 'Let's do this thing.' Then I commenced to deliver my own baby until finally I heard that wonderful, magical sound." She made a popping nose and mimicked a baby crying. "'Mama? Are you my mama?'"

I looked at Maya confused. "Maya?"

"Soap opera." She explained. "She was auditioning for a soap opera."

"Can you believe I didn't get it?" Katy complained.

Everyone in the class nodded and said, "Yes."

"Yes," Maya's mother laughed. "I am an actress. Are there any questions I can answer for anyone?"

A few people raised their hands. "Ah, yes, the Farkle."

"Why are you wearing a waitress outfit?"

"Anyone else?" Lucas raised his hand. "Yes, the pretty, young man right there."

"Yeah, thanks. Um, why are you wearing a waitress outfit?"

Before Katy could answer someone else cut in. "My dad says actors are just a bunch of people who never grew up."

Katy chuckled. "What does your dad do?"

"He's a director."

"Is he? Well, I'm sure your father never gave me a job either. Which is the real reason I wear this outfit everyday." Katy sighed deeply. "Well, I'll just be going now."

Riley and I followed Katy out of the classroom.

"No no no I shouldn't have come." Katy tried to get us to go back to the classroom.

"You did fine, you showed up." Riley shrugged.

"I showed up a day late. I couldn't even get that order right."

"But you showed up." I told her.

Riley gave me a sympathy look. "I know that my dad appreciated the effort."

Maya walked out of the classroom, "Hey Mom, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course, anything." Katy told her.

"I think it works best for us when you go on your imaginary auditions and chase our imaginary father. I appreciate you coming, I do, and I'm not humiliated. I'm not. I'm-- I'm okay. You okay?"

Katy nodded, but I could tell that she was still hurt.

Riley and Maya walked back into the classroom, but I stayed. I had to tell her something.

"You showed up," I repeated to her.

"Why didn't your parents show up?" 

"Mom's at a bar and Dad's in jail." I shrugged. "And my little sister is hours away crying herself to sleep because she wasn't allowed to come New York with me. Our parents didn't show up, but you did. Just remember that you showed up."


	8. Girl Meets Smackle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls give Smackle a makeover

"Ancient Greece--" Mr. Matthews was holding a large present.

"What that? What that that?" Riley pointed to the present.

"What thi-this? This is a present."

"Is it for me?" Riley asked hopefully.

"What's your game, Matthews?" I asked him.

"Game? I mean no game. I just want to know who here wants this present." Everyone except for Maya and I raised our hands.

"Oh, Maya, Revel, what? You assume by playing hard to get, I'm gonna give it to you?"

We both nodded, "Well, yes.That's one of the many arrows in my quiver." Farkle shuddered as Maya said that.

"Medieval talk-- what are you doing to me, woman?"

Mr. Matthews put the present on Riley's desk. "Riley."

"Yay!" Riley opened the present to find a mini chalkboard. "'The Trojan horse?" Riley read the board. 

"Surprise!" Mr. Matthews yelled.

"This isn't a present." Riley tried to explain. "This is one of your life lessons wrapped up in a class lesson wrapped up in a box of nothing."

"How you doing, honey?" I asked her.

"I'm all worked up."

"We know." Maya nodded.

"You assume because it was all neat and pretty that something good was inside. Ancient Troy was protected by walls. The Greeks couldn't get in, so they built a big wooden horse and left it behind. What do you think the Trojans did?"

"They left it there because they were afraid that somebody was trying to teach them something." Riley glared at her father.

Mr. Matthews smiled at her, "They captured it as a trophy and brought it inside. That night, the Greek soldiers crawled out of the horse and defeated Troy. What have we learned here?" I raised my hand figuring out what he said, "Ms. Tien?"

"Don't make assumptions based on what you see?" I was still not completely sure with my answer. 

"Riley, listen, I'm sorry I made an example of you. So here's a gift for you." Mr. Matthews didn't answer my question. Was I right? Wrong? Ugh, things were easier in jail.

"Ooh--no!" Riley started to grab then pulled back as she remembered what happened last time. "I want to--no! Pretty ribbon-- no!"

"I'll take my chances with that, sir." Lucas offered.  
"No, Lucas." Riley yelled at him, trying to warn him. "You have to assume it was no good because the first one was no good. Aren't you all proud of me, Dad?"

"No!" Mr. Matthews shot her down.

Lucas opened the present to reveal two cards, "'Get out of detention free' cards."

Maya and I leaned toward him, "Ooh, we could use one of those." I motioned to the two of us.

"Gimme that and I won't call you 'Ranger Rick' all week." Maya offered.

"Yeah, and I'll let you have the TV tonight." I put my offer up.

Lucas shrugged, and handed both of them to us. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Ranger Roy." 

"Lemmer guess. Ranger Roy is filling in for Ranger Rick?"

"All week." Maya and I said in unison.

Then we turned to Mr. Matthews, "And now... you." I sighed.

"Oh, is something gonna happen to me?" He asked innocently.

"Yes it is," Maya and I stood up and started dancing around the room. She jumped on his desk and started kicking things off while I spun in his chair.

"Read the cards." He laughed at the two of us.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"Card."

"Say 'get out of detention free' then give worthless cards to Maya and Revel then watch them dance on my desk and spin in my chair.'" Maya read and I groaned, couldn't believe I fell into his trap.

"Never assume. Look more deeply. Just because something is wrapped up all pretty, doesn't always mean it is."

Maya and I turned to Lucas, "You were in on this!" 

Lucas shrugged. "I'm Ranger Roy and I'll be here all week."

"Oh-oh-oh," Maya shuddered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...In conclusion, school uniforms reduce individuality which will be unnecessary in the real world. When you're all working for me. Thank you. I am Farkle!" Farkle bowed and took his seat.

"I don't understand debate." Riley complained.

"We say you do." I rebutted. 

"Okay."

"I like debate-- exploring two sides of the same thing-- good and bad. Light and dark. Right in front of you at the same time." Lucas turned to Riley giving her his charming smile. "Where else are you gonna get that?" Lucas looked at the two for a second, "Oh, right here. Look at you."

"And now from Einstein Academy, undefeated this season, 72 pounds of raw intellectual power! She is who your mama wishes she gave birth to!" That was probably true. "The one, the only... Smackle!" Mr. Matthews announced the next debater.

Rock music started to play and the same girl from the spelling bee with the braids came running through an Einstein Academy logo. She danced around for a bit till the music ended and walked up to Farkle. She said afew things to him, and he said back. I couldn't tell what they were saying, I was too far back.

"Wearing a uniform makes you surrender to conformity and sacrifices uniqueness, which is our most valuable freedom. Don't let anyone tell you what to wear. Don't let anybody tell you what to be. Smackle, the one and only, out." Smackle dropped the mic and to her seat.

"Well, before I announce the winner, let me remind you all that our final debate of the season will be held right here next week, where our thought-provoking topic will be 'is beauty only skin deep?" The judge came up to Mr. Matthews with the results. "Great, thank you. So the winner of today's debate is... Isadora Smackle, Einstein Academy."

Everybody started to clap, "It looks like our debate team could use some help." Riley sighed.

"Yeah," Lucas looked over at the two teams. "Smackle's definitely got game."

"She beats Farkle everytime." I looked at Farkle who was laying on the floor. "You think he's gotten used to it by now?"

"It hurts," Farkle groaned.

"Nope, good thing we're there for him. Being there for him is the most important thing we can be—"Maya got distracted and started looking at the food. "Melon balls."

"Ooh." I eyed the fruit. When I was pregnant, melon balls were what I craved 24/7.

Maya and I were digging into the melon balls, Riley was talking to Smackle. She seemed to regret whatever she was saying. As Maya and I were walking over, Riley hugged Smackle.

"On, no! I already have a weird friend." I nodded with Maya. 

"She means me!" Riley smiled. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"What the freaking hell happened to Smackle?" I asked when I entered the debate room the next day. Smackle was wearing a pink dress, heels, and had make-up on. MAKE-UP! I repeat, make-up!

Before they could answer Farkle came over, "You promised you'd change her back!"

I looked at the two, "You did this?"

They ignored me, "We tried." Riley explained.

"She wouldn't go for it."

Farkle sighed and went back to his debate team (which now included Lucas).

"The nation of Troy was charmed by a beautiful wooden horse. They neglected to consider what was inside, and they lost everything because of outer beauty." Farkle started his debate. "Don't be fooled by a pretty wrapper. I mean who keeps the wrapping paper?"

Beside me Riley yelled out, "I wear ribbons!'

"Okay. And our concluding statement will be made by Lucas Friar."

Lucas stood up and started saying his part (I don't know what's happening, I'm just here). "There can be absolutely no debate that the quest for outer beauty at the expense of one's inner self is a road to personal destruction. People make assumptions. I've been labeled a jock and a cowboy, and this is from my friends. But here's a little secret. I like school and I do pretty well." I was surprised to hear this. Back in Texas when Lucas and I were in school together we were both failing, and we wanted to be anywhere other than there. "You might look at me and assume a baseball player. I look at me and I know I'd better get good grades, because what's on the inside has to be more important than what's on the outside to get into a good college and into a good life. Because beauty is not skin deep. Thank you." I was so surprised at this speech, I couldn't even clap. New York changed Lucas and I so much, and I didn't even realize it.

Smackle stood up to present her case. I still cannot believe she was wearing make-up. "Omigosh, I'm like so totally unprepared and scared." Oh no, this was not going to end well. "Maybe that's what you would assume I would say, considering the effort I put into my appearance." Well that took a turn. "I'm here to argue today that beauty actually is skin deep. So I've done some research and I've learned... That it is. When you get compliments from other people who don't ordinarily compliment you, when people look at you differently, packaging does matter. I wasn't pretty, then I was. This is a world where 'pretty' seems better somehow. Which is too bad, but it's not debatable. However, I also have learned that if you get swept up by what you are on the outside you can lose who you are on the inside. Even though it is easy to be fooled by the beauty of a Trojan Horse, it's real power comes from the army within-- intelligence, compassion, integrity, courage. That army is the real you, no matter what you look like. So ever though beauty may be skin deep, beauty is nowhere near as important as the army inside. And I'll try not to forget that." Smackle turned around and picked up her glasses which were on the debate table. "Well, look at all of you. You're all very deeply beautiful. Especially you, Farkle. Thank you."


	9. Girl Meets 1961

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class finds out about there history

"The 60's man!" Mr. Matthews started yet another history class. "Influential musicians like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez... playing guitars and singing like prophets. The times, they were a-changin'."

"The class, they are a-sleepin'." I mumbled loud enough for Mr. Matthews to hear.

"It's not your fault, Dad. It's just the stuff you are saying." Riley tried to explain.

"I'm talking about the '60s, man." Mr. Matthews laughed, but everyone else looked bored.

"Nobody cares about when you were our age." I rolled my eyes.

"Revel, it was over 50 years ago. How old do you think I am?"

Lucas was the only brave one to answer. "There's no right answer to this, sir."

"You should teach us future class, you know, give us something we could use." Maya offered.

"Listen, Dad, you're doing a wonderful job up there and we're very happy you're all jazzed up..."

"We are?" I muttered.

"But history has nothing to do with us." Maya finished for Riley.

"I'm gonna snap this chalk now." Mr. Matthews threatened. 

"Uh oh." Lucas muttered from beside me.

Then SNAP! The chalk broke in half. "What did you guys do yesterday?"

"I think I had chicken pot pie?" I yelled out.

"Do you know what yesterday was?" Oh, crap. I walked into this. 

"Chicken pot pie day?" I asked hopefully.

"It's history."

"I was close."

"Every decision you make every day, every time you decide to turn left instead of right, you make history and you affect some else's. And if you refuse to learn that, I guarantee you, you guys will not become the best person you can be. Because history is all about missed opportunities. 'History has nothing to do with us,' wasn't it, Ms. Hart?"

"Can't remember, it was, like, five minutes ago."

"Fine. I am not gonna teach you guys about the '60s." Everyone in class cheered. "You are." We all groaned except for Farkle who was still cheering. "History is alive, even if you weren't. But now you're gonna be. You will visit the 1960s and give a report."

"Time travel." Farkle said in dreamland.

"How do we do that, Dad? We weren't there."

"You were." He slammed a book shut.

"How?" I was confused.

"You all have grandparents or great-grandparents. Choose one who was around during that time. Learn all you can about them and report back. Then we'll see if history has nothing to do with us. Living history. Now I'm all jazzed up." Farkle cheered while the rest of us groaned. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Greenwich Village, New York 1961 there was a single teen mother with her two sons. She rushed into a restaurant as morning sickness took over her. Her third child was causing her body to reject everything she ate. She pushed her twin boys into a nice looking girls arms and ran into the ladies room.

She finished puking up her ham and cheese sandwich and went up to the counter to order some water to clear the taste of puke from her mouth and juice to keep the twins happy.

She walked back over to the girl she practically threw her children at, and started to apologize. "I'm so sorry. I was having some morning sickness and my meal was making its way up my throat."

"No problem," The girl was mostly dressed in black and had a notepad in her hand.

"You a reporter?" Michelle asked as she took the twins, Tony and Troy, out of her arms.

"No," She smiled, "I'm just visiting, and while I'm visiting I'm going to get a drink." She pointed over to the counter where Michelle had ordered her water and juice.

The two girls and the two year old twins walked over to the counter. "You're both new faces." A man with a goatee and large glasses told them. He pushed three cups toward Michelle.

Michelle chuckled and handed her twins the cups of juice, "Yep, just passin' through." She shrugged.

The not- reporter girl took more... dramatic approach to answering the question, "So are you, but everything's new to me, the people..." She clicked her fingers. "...The places..." She snapped her fingers again. "... the whole happening scene, man."

"First time you ever said that, isn't it?" The counter man asked.

"I practiced the whole way here." She looked very proud of herself.

The dude shrugged, "Let me get a vibe." He came out from behind the counter and looked at the two. "I dig you immedia-tois." He said to the not-reporter girl, then he looked at Michelle. "What kind of husband would leave you alone with sickness and twins?"

"An asshole one," Michelle shrugged like it was nothing.

"What does that mean? Immedia-tois?" 

"I don't know I made it up."

"Well, here's what I want you to make up for me: a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, because I'm dangerous."

"So dangerous," Michelle laughed.

"You got a name dangerous?"

"Rosie. Rosie McGee." Not-reporter gir- I mean Rosie told him.

"And you single mother?"

"Michelle Millers," Michelle held out her hand to which the counter guy happily shook.

"The twins?"

"Tony and Troy. What's your name?"

"Ginsburg." Ginsburg answered honestly. "Nice to meet you Rosie, Michelle."

He then took his camera out and snapped a photo of Rosie, Michelle, and the twins (who were messing around with their juice).

"What's the picture for?" Michelle asked.

"For the moment we first met." He shrugged again. "I'll get your hot chocolate, McGee, and Millers, I have some paper and crayons in the back if the twins want to draw."

"I know this is weird, but have we met before?" Rosie asked Ginsburg.

"Haven't we all?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome to Cafe Hey, pronounced, 'heh.'" Ginsburg welcomed all the customers.

Everybody responded with a "Heh,"

"You're getting better at that." Ginsburg nodded. "Tonight's gonna be legendary, man. Let's just see what flows." Ginsburg snapped his fingers and the lights turned off and then someone shined a spotlight on him. "Black. White. Green. Tan. No one listen to the man. Freedom is the only plan. Free to be who you am. Can't you see? That you.. Are... me. Karma." Everyone started snapping their fingers.

Ginsburg walked over to Michelle and Rosie. Michelle was trying to tame the twins and Rosie was writing in a book. 

"Whatcha writing?" Ginsburg asked Rosie.

"Oh! Just observations." She shrugged. "You know, thoughts about the people I meet."

"These are deep, man. You're one deep chick." Ginsburg told her, and Michelle nodded along glancing at the journal.

"Chick? Down here I'm a chick." Rosie sat down on a barstool trying to be cool, but failing terribly.

Ginsburg sighed. "Why'd you come here tonight, Rosie and Michelle?"

"Heading to my mothers house in Texas, got a little morning sickness on the way." Michelle picked up Tony and tickled him.

"I came to make some friends."

Ginsburg didn't know how to fix Michelle's problem so he tried to help Rosie. "You see, there's two tables over there. The one on the left, Bob and Joan, table on the right, a blonde girl all alone. She's new around here, too. Go left or right. What to do? Karma." Ginsburg asked her before turning to Michelle. "You sit wherever Rosie here sits and I'll see if I have any toys for the boys to play with."

Michelle shrugged and waited for Rosie to pick the table. Rosie walked over to the girl alone and sat in the chair next to her. Michelle pulled up two other chairs for the boys and sat in the other empty seat at the table.

"You are really interesting looking." Rosie started and Michelle hung her head in her hands in embarrassment. "Are you as interesting as you look?"

"Sure," She shrugged. "Are you as weird as you talk?"

Before Rosie could answer Michelle butt in, "She is."

"Yeah man! I'm the weirdest cat there is." Rosie high-fived a reluctant Michelle.

"Really? 'Cause you seem like a nice, normal girl to me."

"You figured me out in five seconds and you hurt me." Rosie complained.

"How can I make that up to you?"

"Could we be friends?" Rosie asked. "I would be a very good friend to you."

"Wait! How come you didn't ask me to be your friend?"

Rosie rolled her eyes, "You practically pushed your kids on to me, that automatically makes us friends. Anyway, will you be our friend."

"Yeah, I could use a few weird friends."

Rosie looked excited, "Then you should pick...." She waved her fingers around until they landed on Michelle and herself. "Oh, look they both landed on us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now in Greenwich Village, New York modern times Maya, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, and I sat in Svorski's Bakery talking about our projects. 

"All right, status report." Riley said. "I got a guitar that belonged to my great-grandmother Rosie, and her very weird journal."

"My dad is sending something about my great-grandfather." Lucas told us.

"I did a DNA test and learned about my great-grandmother Michelle Miller." I told the group. I was pretty excited to learn about my heritage.

"Why didn't you just ask your parents?" Farkle asked.

"Dad's in jail, Mom a drunk back in Texas." I shrugged trying not to make it a big deal. "So what about your great-grandfather?" I asked Lucas, trying to change the subject.

"We don't talk about him much. His name was Merlin."

"Merlin? Was he a wizard? Ha!" Farkle laughed at Lucas's great-grandfather's name.

Lucas eyed him, "Okay, Farkle Minkus. What was your great-grandfather's name?"

"Ginsburg." Farkle was proud.

"You make no sense to me whatsoever." Lucas sighed exasperated.

"Whatcha looking at?" I asked Maya who was flipping through a book.

"Art book," She looked up. "Ms. Kossal gave it to me. It's got all the best artists and their best paintings. It's amazing and depressing."

"She's trying to motivate you." Farkle explained.

"Ain't working. Look at these." She showed us the art work.

"Oh yeah!" I remembered. "Ms. Kossal gave me one of those so I would stop painting Greek Mythology stuff. I then started doing Egyption Mythology paintings."

"Yeah, but look at these, I could never do anything near this. These people all have something to say."

"Well, you only know that because they went ahead and said it." Huckleberry gave her his wise advice.

"You know, someday you're gonna make somebody a really good fortune cookie." I patted Lucas's back.

Suddenly Farkle stood up, "Let me take a picture of everybody."

"Why?" I asked him.

"I don't know. It's us. We may be important to somebody someday."

"You guys are already important to me." Riley announced. "You teach me how to be friends."

"AW..." We all melted at her words.

We started cleaning up our stuff, when Maya told us something stupid. 

"I'm gonna leave the book here."

"Wait, why?" Riley asked her.

"It makes me feel bad... plus it's very heavy."

Before Riley or I could try to grab off the table, Maya pushed us out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michelle and the blonde girl, Rosie and Michelle had befriended, were reading through Rosie's journal while she tried to pry it out of they're hands.

"There is some pretty deep stuff in here." The blonde girl told her still reading it while I held her back. "'The girl with the long, blonde hair.' Who's that about, I wonder."

Rosie finally managed to get past Michelle and take the book out of the blonde girl's hand. "It's my first time here and I would like to remember everything. Maybe I'll write about it later."

"It's my first time here, too." The blonde girl sat back down next to Rosie.

"Same for me." Michelle sat down with Troy sleeping in her lap and Tony leaning against her leg half asleep.

"Bus broke down on the way to California." The blonde girl explained. "Bad luck. I don't understand why things like this happen."

"Morning sickness took over me as I was passing here. I rushed my boy's in and puked in the bathroom." Michelle blushed at the memory.

"Because if your bus didn't break down and you weren't overcome by morning sickness, then we don't become friends. If I go sit at that table instead of this table, then I'm not friends with Michelle Millers or....." Rosie trailed off realizing she didn't know her name.

"May." She sighed. "May Clutterbucket.

"Yow!" Michelle tried to hold back her laughter. Then she saw the time in the corner of her eye. "Shit! I have to go. It was so nice to meet you." She put Troy on one hip and Tony on the other and tried to get her things together.

"Wait! You're going?" Rosie looked sad. So Michelle told her a lie.

"Don't worry I'll be back later. I just have to leave the twins with their father." She explained before grabbing Tony, Troy, and her own coat and sprinted out to the automobile.

She never came back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello," Lucas turned around dramatically. "I'm Lucas Friar. My great-grandpa used to do that. He was a man named Merlin Scoggins. And this record," Lucas held up a record. "Was a big hit."

"That's amazing, Lucas." Mr. Matthews said. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna tell Maya I have a country-singing great-grandpa and that I actually do come from cowboys. Yeah, because I need more nicknames to go with 'Hopalong', 'Sundance', and 'Ranger Rick'."

"Nope," Maya shook her head. "I'm done with that. I am so impressed with your rich, Texas heritage that I am officially throwing out all those old nicknames forever."

"Wow, thank you, Maya."

"No problem, Bucky McBoingBoing."

Riley ignored them and started her presentation. "From what I can piece together, my great-grandmother, Rosie McGee, was a weird, little, wide-eyed goofball who only saw the best in everybody. Who's like that?"

Maya and I looked at each other, "No one." We responded in unison.

"I'd like to play you my great-grandfather's song." Lucas put in the record and we started listening to his great-grandfather.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The song ended and Lucas continued his speech, "After an appearance in a small cafe in New York City, he made some bad choices. He went to jail for a little while. He went left instead of right."

"And why do you think that was, Mr. Friar?"

"Don't know," Lucas shrugged. "Maybe he needed some better friends."

Riley stepped up, "Rosie liked observing things. I'm going to read something from her journal. It's called, 'The Girl with the Long, Blonde Hair.' 'She said she would be gone for a moment, I am still waiting. We could have been friends, maybe in some other life. The girl with the long, blonde hair.'"

"It sounds like Rosie was a pretty good writer." Mr. Matthews commented.

"There's a little bit more. 'If you quiet your voice, if you stop, because you think other people are better, then you are not who I know you are, the girl with the long, blonde hair.'"

"You wrote that." Maya accused.

"I continued it. I am a continuation. That's what history's about, right, Dad?"

"Oh, now I get it." Mr. Matthews laughed. 

"Rosie had a daughter, and her daughter had my mom. Rosie gave me my mom and she gave me my dad, his wife. This has been in our family for over 50 years." Riley walked over to Maya carrying a guitar. "But I feel like it belongs with you." She gave Maya the guitar. "So, I hope that whenever you see it, it will remind you that even though Rosie's friend gave up and another one left, you never should."

Maya took the guitar and smirked. She turned to Lucas and I and started playing the guitar and singing, "Oh no." We both muttered.

"Hello. I'm Bucky McBoingBoing. I got a great-grandson who's a Ranger Rick and a Hopalong and a Sundace, too. Everybody!" Everybody started to sing along with Maya.


	10. Girl Meets Crazy Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bake sale with a side of poison

Amabella babbled to Lucas and I about the most random things. She would point to the couch and start squealing or would point into the kitchen and babble excitedly. Lucas and I would point at things and she would follow our fingers and start laughing maniacally.

"So... Lucas... you ever going to tell me when you are asking out Riley?" I asked innocently while still playing with Amabella.

"And time for school," Lucas dragged me out the front door as soon as I got Amabella in her crib.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Belgium, 1831--"

"No!" I screamed at Mr.Matthews

"In 1831, Belgium--"

"No!" I screamed again.

"Revel?" He asked me. 

I pointed to Riley, "Riley has a question."

He rolled his eyes and looked at Riley, "Riley?"

"What's my thing?" She asked.

"What's your thing?"

"What am I going to be, Dad? Am I gonna be OK?"  
Mr. Matthews knelt down next to her desk, "Riley, listen to me very carefully."

"Ok."

"In 1831, Belgium declared its independence from the Netherlands."

Riley's face started to crumble up, like Amabella's did when she was about to cry. "What will people be thinking of me if I end up living in a subway?"

"What if nothing happens for her, sir?" Maya cut in a little worried. "Riley can't end up like that. She's Revel and I's meal ticket." I nodded along.

"What the-- I just saw you girls at breakfast!" 

"Wat er in ons land is gebeurd?" Farkle yelled out in some alien language.

"Calm down, Farkle. You're speaking in Dutch again." Damn not an alien language.

"Oh echt?" Farkle slapped himself and tried again. "Mi educación no debe basarse.." Farkle started with another alien language.

"No, no, no." Mr. Matthews laughed. "You slapped yourself way too hard. You went all the way to Spanish."

Farkle slapped himself again, "My education should not be based on your daughter's moods."

Mr. Matthews shrugged. "Neither should mine, but it is! Guys, a daughter asks her father, 'What's my thing?' This question will resonate in the hearts of all parents." Small glance at me. "From the moment it's asked until the day their child feels comfortable in the world. Pretty soon you will all join the workforce. What's your thing? What do you aspire to? How will you affect people? That's the only history that matters."

"Thank you, Daddy."

Farkle whimpered, "Thank you, Daddy." 

"All right, guys, tell you what. Let's split the class into two separate businesses and see how you do for yourselves. We'll see if anyone's got anything to worry about, OK?"

I mimicked a cartoon character and tapped my fingers together evilly, "Excellent." Then in my normal voice I asked again. "What will our companies be?" 

"Doesn't matter. Uh.. Muffins, OK?" He grabbed a muffin from his lunch box and held it up as if we didn't know what it was.

"You two are going to be 'Riley and Farkle's Muffins.' That'll be your thing for the week."  
Maya shrugged, "I already got my thing. Riley's gonna be a success and I'm gonna sponge off her until she gets sick of me?"

"I will never get sick of you." Riley argued.

"I am set for life!" Maya concluded.

"Alright, let's get out there and make some money-- Cash, cabbage, cheddah-cheeze!"

"Those are your values, Farkle?" I questioned. See I know big words like 'values'.

"What else should a company value but profits?"

"Well, if I had a company, I'd treat my employees well and make sure we did right by our customers." I explained.

Farkle pointed at me. "You are everything that's wrong with this country."

"Then you do have a company, Revel."

"Uh.." I really shouldn't have said anything.

"'Hart, Friar, and Tien's muffins.' So these two competing companies will hire the rest of you guys as employees. Everyone else in this school will be your customers. Let's see what happens."

"Here's what happens," I started. "We crush you!" I said to Riley and Farkle.

"We will be billionaires, and you will eat your words using plastic cutlery." Farkle retorted. 

"You're cute when you're menacing." Maya smirked.

Farkle stared at her, "I don't know what to do now."

"I know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley's team was winning. Her and Farkle were ringing in the cash, while Maya, Lucas, and I were rolling in zero dollars and five cents. 

"Why are there muffins so white?" I asked.

"What's so great about their muffins?" Maya yelled at a raging group of people swarming Farkle and Riley.

"Yeah, we've got plenty of muffins right here." Lucas pointed to the untouched muffins in front of us.

I glared at Lucas, "Really didn't notice."

The group barely acknowledged us, and continued throwing out offers for their last muffin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright progress reports." Mr. Matthews clapped his hands. Time for humiliation. "What's up in make-believe corporate America?"

"Hart, Friar, and Tien's muffins report," I started. We started with 100 muffins, made each with all-natural and organic ingredients."

"And you selected these ingredients because?"  
"Because that's the right and responsible thing to do." Maya stated. 

"You really believe that?" Mr. Matthews asked Maya.

"I dunno! You spend a day with this guy."

"So far we've sold 14 muffins at a dollar each." Lucas read further into our reports. 

"OK, how much do they cost you?"

"They didn't cost us anything to make," I tried to tell him.

"Well, how's that possible?"

"Well, my mother bought them for us. She wanted us to sell healthy foods." Mrs. Friar was a stickler on health.

"How's that workin' out for us so far, Huckleberry?" 

"As soon as we sell them all, I'll pay her back." Lucas muttered to us. "I stand by our product, sir."

"So do I. They're everywhere." I pointed to the boxes standing around us.

"How are your profits? Friar?" Farkle asked knowing our profits were as low as hell. Or maybe not... I don't know.

"Let me teach my class, Farkle, OK? I decided what to say and when I'm gonna say it, and I decided who to call on and what I'm gonna ask them!"

"How were my profits, Friar?" Lucas mumbled.

"Yes!"

"Well, I have those right here, sir." Lucas paused. 

"None."

"I'm sorry, what?" Farkle flaunted our loss.

"None." Lucas repeated. "And it's not right, sir. Our muffins are good for you."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm gonna tear your face off, Farkle!" I lunged forward but Lucas held me back.

"None!"

"We can't even give them away," Maya threw a muffin at someone, but they just threw it right back.

"All right, let's talk about a real make-believe company." Farkle pushed us aside. "Farkle's muffins."

"Riley and Farkle's muffins." Riley corrected Farkle.

"Yeah, keep tellin' yourself that. Unlike our competitors, our profits are through the roof, and so are our employees." I glanced at the class to see everyone jumping around.

"Why are they like that?" Mr. Matthews made a face.

"They ate the product, sir."

"Riley?"

"Everybody seems to like our muffins, Dad."

"Oh, my sweet innocent child. Can't you see why?"

"Because they're filled with love." Riley smiled.

"I don't that's what they're filled with, Riley." I turned to her.

"Yeah. Why do they come out so white, Farkle?" Riley finally asked him.

"Because they're 100% carbon, hydrogen and oxygen."

I screamed, "Everyone put down the muffins! Psycho Farkle, poisoned them!" Nobody listened to me though.

"Sugar! They're all sugar! Just one big sugar cube!" Farkle yelled manically.

"What?" Lucas turned to him all confused. Why the hell was he surprised? "Ours are oatmeal, honey and locally-harvested berries."

"Farkle, you said all-natural." Riley complained.

"SUGAR!"

"You said organic,"

"SUGAR!"

"You said delicious."

Before Farkle could yell 'sugar,' I jumped in, "I got this. SUGAR!"

"Farkle we are a business. Businesses do not just mislead their customers to make a little bit of money."

"Ha-aaaa!' Farkle yelled in her face.

"We're done for, Farkle. These muffins are pure evil."

A girl from class started rambling as Riley held up a white muffin, "Are you gonna eat that? Because if you're not gonna eat that I would eat that right now is what I would do is I would eat that right now is what I would do."

"You know how you succeed, Riley?" Farkle continued. "You give the people what they want. That's why we're a success.... " Farkle took one of our muffins and threw it out to the class to only have it thrown back at us again. "And they're not."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got bored listening to Farkle and Riley and walked out of the class. I found janitor Harley, who agreed to not tell any teachers I was wondering around if I helped out. I agreed considering it was the job I was given in juvie. Apparently he was in reform school which is the closest anyone at this school was going to get to being in juvie.

Mr. Matthews at some point realized I was missing and came to look for me. "Revel, you can't just leave class whenever you want," He didn't yell at me which surprised me a little. He just seemed confused at why I was mopping the floor. "What are you doing?"

I shrugged, "Helping janitor Harley out."

"Yeah, Johnny Baboon." Harley nodded at my words. "Did you know that Revel here went to juvie?"

Mr. Matthews eyes widened a little bit as if he forgot about it. "Yes, I did know that. I also know I don't want you two anywhere near each other." He tried to push us apart a little.

"What?" I laughed. "Afraid he's going to be a bad influence on me?"

"No, I'm sure you will be a bad influence on him." 

Mr. Matthews shuddered. "Come on we have to get back into class."

Mr. Matthews dragged me all the way back to class with me complaining the whole way. When we walked in there was a lady with a crazy hat talking.

"Evelyn Rand." Mr. Matthews pointed out.

"You know, crazy hat?" I asked.

"I know she's the chairman of the board of Rand Industries. You guys walk by her building on the way to school."

"She really has a building?" Riley and Maya looked surprised.

"With her name on it." Mr. Matthews confirmed. 

"You'll usually find me on the top floor of my building going, 'Rahr rahr rah!'" Evelyn/ Miss. Rand (I don't know what to call her) laughed. "You two dollies want to know how I got my name on the building?"

When no one said anything, I shrugged. "I do."

"By knowing a good idea when I hear one. So I've made out a check to 'The Two Dollies'."

"You can do that?" Riley took the check.

"I can do whatever I want. Now what I want you to do is go get some umbrellas, go get 'em in some subway stations. You start. The people will do the rest. I believe in them. I've watched them. Now which one is the Farkle?" Farkle slouched down in his seat, trying to avoid Evelyn/Miss Rand's glare. She walked up to his desk and yelled, "Stop it! Now..." Evelyn/ Miss Rand started to pull something out of her shirt. "This is $1.00, Farkle. Somebody came by it by doing hard work. Not by pumping people up with something you knew would let them down. Don't keep the dollar. It won't fix you if you keep it. Pass it on. That's what changes you, Farkle. Take it from me."

Farkle shakily took the dollar from her and started speaking in an alien language again, "Bedankt."

Evelyn/Miss Rand responded in the alien language (seriously does everyone know this outer space language, but me? Was it because I was in jail?). "Geen dank." Then she returned to the English language, "And, you two, don't worry so much about your future."

"Really?" Riley looked hopeful.

"Really, yes. You two dollies, you're going to be just fine. Mm-hmm, here's your first umbrella." Crazy Hat (that's her new name) gave Riley a gold and blue umbrella and gave Maya her black hat with pink, red, and black bird feathers on it. Maya grinned widely. "Uh.. Nice, nice work, Dad. You really think that you can make a difference in these kids' lives?" 

"Yeah, I do. I'm their teacher." 

"Good for you." Crazy Hat shrugged and left the room. 

"Take me with you!" I mumbled to her, but she only laughed and Mr. Matthews passed me a detention slip. "Ah, come on!"


	11. Girl Meets World: Of Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween brings scares for everyone

It was Halloween. I would normally be running around the neighborhood hitting as many kids with toilet paper as I could, but instead I was in New York trying to turn over a new leaf. I convinced the principal to allow me to bring Amabella for the day. He agreed mostly because I hadn't burned down the school yet. Maya, Riley, and Farkle all believed Amabella was my sister which was perfectly fine by me considering I know Riley and if Riley figured out I never told her about my daughter, she would throw a fit. 

Riley, Farkle, Maya, Lucas, Amabella, and I were all in steampunk costumes (which they hadn't told me until after I bought Amabella and I elephant costumes.) Amabella was mostly asleep in my arms, mostly because Farkle was hanging off Mr. Matthews' desk, screaming.

"It's only gym class." I tried to explain.

"They throw things at me!" 

"Who?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Maya!"

"I'm the pitcher." She rolled her eyes. 

"They make me stand there in front of everybody!" 

"He's the batter." I told Mr. Matthews.

"There's a guy behind me in a mask!"

"That'd be the catcher, sir." Lucas said as he walked out of the class.

"And then somebody screams."

"That's the umpire." Mr. Matthews continued to pull him off the desk.

"Nope, that's Farkle." I adjusted Amabella on my waist.

"I'm still not gonna write you a note for gym class, Farkle. It's softball. What could possibly go wrong in softball."

The lighting and thunder shook the school. The lights were flickering off and on. Farkle was staring in Maya's direction. When the light's came back on fully, Farkle was on Mr. Matthews' back.

"Get off."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sitting on the bleachers watching the game play out. I was deemed ref for the rest of the year after I knocked out two people in kickball (it was an accident. How was I supposed to know that you can't throw the ball at someone's head?) Maya threw the ball at the catcher who caught it, and fell backwards.

"Batter up!" I yelled.

"It's raining outside. Why are we playing softball inside? We should be playing dodgeball. No, wait! What am I talking about! We should be square dancing. Yeah! We should be swinging our partner!"

"You should be swinging your bat, Farkle." I sighed annoyed. "Get in there! What are you afraid of?" I wasn't trying to be rude, but he does this every turn, everyday. 

He leaned next to me. "I'm afraid of getting hit by the ball, ref."

"You're afraid of getting hit by the ball?" I asked quite loudly before I realized that wasn't something he wanted to share with the class. Opps. 

"I'm also afraid of public humiliation." Double opps. 

The coach realized the delay and walked up to Farkle, "Quit your bellyaching. She throws straight as a rope." Just at that moment, Maya threw another ball and the catcher fell over again.

"Check, check, check her out. Check our little pitcher out!" Riley sang and danced.

"Riles?" Maya turned to her.

"All right. Third base." Riley smiled like she had a plan. "What hand does this thing go on?" Riley asked Lucas referring to the glove.

"You know-oh..." I realized what that little genius was doing.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, okay." Lucas walked back to his base. Then Riley hit his butt with the glove.

"Yeah, I did that."

"Why do I have to be up?" Farkle turned to me again.

"You have to be up because you woke up Amabella from her nap." I pointed to Amabella who was in the bleachers in her baby carrier, babbling. "She's gonna be tired later, and you're up because I'm ref!" I pushed Farkle over to the batter's box.

Farkle struck a weird pose before Maya even had a chance to throw. This caught Maya by surprise and she threw the ball in the wrong direction.

"Wait. Can he do that?" Maya held up her hand.

"He's in the batter's box." I pointed out. "Ball one!"

Farkle screamed and struck another weird pose. Maya was surprised again and threw the ball at the ground.

"Ball two!"

"He's rattling my pitcher, ref." Lucas yelled at me, expecting me to something. "He's doing it on purpose. He's an evil, genius mastermind."

"Yeah?" I looked at Farkle who was still holding the same weird pose with his eyes closed tight. "I don't think he is."

Farkle stood up, and Maya got ready to throw the ball again. Thunder shook the building again, and the lights went out. I could hear Farkle sigh with relief from besides me.

"Aww, too bad. Darn. Heck. See you in science, suckas. And let me tell you something, Maya, you ain't all that. I would've hit the next one right out of the pa-" The lights flickered and came back on. Farkle was facing Maya and started to back away slowly. "You're very pretty."

"Move." She warned.

"I'm good right here." Farkle stopped moving backwards in fear.

I picked up Amabella from the bleachers who was starting to get fussy and walked over to Farkle. "You wanna spend the rest of your life scared?"

"I was planning on it, ref."

"Get in the box, Farkle."

There was a room of silence as Farkle got ready to bat. His teammates nodded, telling he got it. Maya was hitting the ball in her glove. And Riley... Riley was probably thinking of another cheer to yell out.

"Time out." Lucas walked up to Maya. "All right, you're done, Maya."

"What?"

"I'm taking you out."

"You're not my type."

"I'm taking you out of the game."

"What?"

"Maya, Maya, say goodbye-a!" Riley sang.

"Riley!"

"Yes?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Maya turned her direction back to Lucas.

"You haven't thrown a strike. I think Farkle's in your head, kid." It was funny hearing Lucas call Maya a kid. Haa.... she probably doesn't like that.

"But he's all 'Wah! Wah! Flah!'" Maya imitated Farkle.

"I know how to pitch to him, Maya. I know what to do. Take shortstop." Lucas took the ball from her. I know what he's doing. He did this to my little sister Clementine back in Texas.

"Okay, Lucas, nice and slow, okay?" Farkle practically begged him.

"Yeah. How's this for slow?" Lucas chucked the ball at him. He wasn't even aiming for the bat, but for his body. Farkle screamed as it hit him in the shoulder and fell over.

Lucas walked over to him to help him up.

"You did that on purpose."

"Yeah, I did."

"Why would you do that?"

"He did it for you, Farkle." I stepped in.

"You threw that as hard as you could?"

"Pretty much. How do you feel?"

"I'm.... fine." Farkle realized and stood up. He got ready to take another turn.

"You got hit. Get to take your base, Farkle." I told him.

"Don't want it, ref." He turned to Maya. "You. Bring it."

Maya threw another ball, this time instead of screaming and freaking out, Farkle hit the ball. It went flying across the gym and Farkle gained a homerun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoo! Thank you, Farkle Nation!" Farkle was being carried on everyone's shoulders. While everyone cheered for him. Riley, Maya, and I were over by the lockers. Amabella was fast asleep in her carrier and probably wouldn't wake up for another hour. So I wasn't too worried about the noise.

Maya and I were planning on confronting Riley about how she doesn't sleep at Riley's house.

"So, Halloween sleepover at my house to do candy trades?" Riley asked us just like we suspected.

"Yeah, expect..." Maya turned to me with a smile. "Why don't we do it at my house?"

Thunder shook the building and Riley fell against the locker terrified at the idea. The lights fell out and when they came back on, Mr. Matthews was standing in the doorway with a bag over his head.

"Yeah, why don't you sleep at Maya's this year?" Mr. Matthews asked Riley when she calmed down.

Riley scoffed. "Because we've already agreed to have it in my room every single year forever."

"Why are you so afraid to sleep at her house." I turned to Riley.

"I'm not."

"You've never made it through a whole night there." I countered.

"Tell her that's not true, Dad."

"I can't honey. I'm the one that has to get up in the middle of the night and get you when you secretly call me."

"We wake up every morning and you're not there." Maya complained. "It makes us feel bad."

"I would never make you feel bad."

"Then I want you to stay one night... all night... tonight." Maya, Mr. Matthews, and I walked closer to her.

"Riley, get over this fear." I demanded. "I'm renting the apartment next to them and I don't want you to fear my apartment. It all ready makes me feel bad when you leave Maya's."

"Fine. Dad could you at least drive me there?"

"To Maya's house of horrors?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maya had finished setting up the bed for her and Riley, while I was trying to get my air mattress blown up and Amabella's crib assembled. Riley on the other hand was curled up in a ball in the corner of Maya's room.

"All right. How's it going so far?" Maya finally asked after watching Riley hug herself.

"It's good. I'm good." I couldn't tell if Riley was trying to convince us, herself, or both. "A little bit noisy." Riley motioned to the traffic outside the window.

"Different part of town." I explained.

Maya's ferret crawled up to the window and Riley screamed. "What's that? What's that? What's that?"

"That's Ginger." Maya picked up Ginger and handed her to Riley.

"Hi, Ginger. I'm Riley." Ginger hissed at Riley and she backed away.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but you're new cat's possessed."

"It's a ferret." I explained.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but you're new cat's a ferret."

Riley put Ginger down on the bed. "I wouldn't do that." I warned.

"Does he let you know when he needs to pee?"

"That's why I wouldn't do that." Ginger crawled onto Riley's pillow and peed on it.

"Oh, I get it now."

"Okay, bye-bye Ginger." Maya took Ginger out of the room. While she was gone Riley switched the pillows. 

"Okay, Riley, we're gonna turn off the lights now." I warned Riley. Amabella was already in her crib already tired out. She would be out any minute, but Riley might keep her awake and I NEED sleep.

"No! I don't like it completely dark." I smiled as Maya still turned off the lights and pointed to her wall where a red bunny lit up.

"Aw.. baby bunny." The bunny got bigger. "Baby bunny growing." Then the bunny from across the street on the sign grew larger and you could no longer tell it was a bunny. "Maya! Revel!"

"Come here." Maya led her over to the window. "They opened a new bunny mart across the street. All you're seeing is the shadows of the neon sign where the little bunny gets bigger and bigger."

"Can we go to sleep now?" I REALLY wanted to sleep.  
"Yeah. It's just the shadow." Maya switched the pillows back to normal and Riley threw hers (the one covered in pee) off the bed.

As soon as I hit my head on my pillow, I was out like a rock. Then I was awoken not two minutes later by Riley's screaming.

"What? Who's dead?" I sat up quickly and scanned the room. Good news: no one's dead.

"No, it's me, Grammy." Maya's grandmother stood over their bed. 

"Oh, hi Grammy Hart. How have you been?" I asked.

"Well, I'm still kicking, Revel. The old grim reaper has gotta move a lot faster to catch me." Grammy Hart waved goodnight and left the room.

"Maybe if I didn't see the shadows, I could actually go to sleep." Riley suggested.

I sighed and hung a blanket across the window. "Fine, anything to get you to sleep."

"You know, Maya and Revel, if it would be easier for you, I could always call my father and--" Riley picked up her phone and started calling her father's number. "Save me, Daddy. She has scary bunnies." I reached over and took the phone from her and hung up.

"No. You're gonna make it through the night, you're gonna stay at my house and you're gonna be comfortable."

"I don't understand, because I really like it during the day."

"I don't understand why we can't just sleep?" I groaned.

"So as long as this curtain is up..."

Riley finished the sentence. "I'm gonna be okay. I promise."

"Good." I collapsed on the mattress. I checked Amabella's crib and she was out like a light. Nothing could wake her up now.

"Just shadows. Shadows are just shadows. They can't hurt me. No problem at all."

I got under the covers and as soon as I was comfortable, Maya and Riley screamed. I looked at what they were screaming at and screamed too. This only resulted in Amabella waking up and screaming along. 

Maya pulled down the curtain on the window and saw Farkle and Lucas in their Halloween costumes. I held Amabella tightly, and Maya and Riley continued to scream. I guess they didn't know it was their Halloween costumes.

Farkle and Lucas pulled off their masks and they calmed down.

"Ladies." Farkle greeted.

"Farkle!" We screamed at him.

"Trick or treat!" Lucas gave us his charming (blah) smile.

"Why are you screaming? You scared us." Farkle asked us.

"What are you guys doing here?" Maya sighed.

"We were passing by on our way home." Lucas pointed in the direction they were going. "We thought we'd say hi."

"In the middle of the night?" Oh right Riley thinks it's like one in the morning. 

"It's a quarter after seven." Lucas looked at her confused.

"Then why'd you have me go to sleep, Maya, Revel?"

"I was trying to put myself out of my misery."

"I just wanted to sleep." I groaned.

"What are you scared of Riley? It's great out here." Lucas motioned outside.

"There's nothing to be scared of." Farkle joined in.

At that moment Grammy Hart barged in the room. "I hear boys. You got boys in here?"

Maya pointed out the window. "They're out there."

"Oh. Oh, hiya, boys!" Grammy Hart waved at Lucas and Farkle.

"Scary old lady." Farkle leaned against the window. 

"Farkle. Oh." Grammy Hart practically melted.

"Come on, Lucas. Wanna learn how to attract older ladies?" 

"No." Lucas deadpanned and the two walked away.

"See ya." I waved bye.

"You know what?" Riley started.

"What?"

"You don't actually have to cover the window. I was actually afraid of Farkle until he took off his mask, and when he did, it was just Farkle."

"Yeah Farkle's not scary at all." I agreed.

"No, and neither is your neighborhood. Once you take it's mask off."

We sat in silence for a few moments looking out the window when Maya spoke, "It's actually kind of pretty. I never noticed that before."

"Yeah. I like your house, Maya."

"Thank you, Riley. That makes me happy. So you wanna go to sleep now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Amabella was asleep in my arms and the view was nice. "In a little bit. Can we stay up a little bit longer."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later while Riley was asleep, Maya confronted me. "Your daughter's cute."

It took me a second and I looked over to make sure Riley was asleep before saying anything. "H-how?"

"I'm not an idiot. You don't treat Amabella as your sister. You care for her as your daughter."

I sighed. "Look there was a bad dude back in Texas, he took advantage of me. By the time I realized I was pregnant, I couldn't have an abortion. Please.. Please don't tell anyone."

"Of course not." Maya smiled. "Can I hold her?"

I lifted up the sleeping Amabella and handed her over to Maya who'd joined me on the floor. "You don't think.. I'm so kind of a freak... or slut?"

"Of course not. Anyone who thinks that will have to face the wrath of me."


	12. Girl Meets The Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revel understands what it’s like to be one of the forgotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit for the lullaby go to Baby Lullabies or https://genius.com/Baby-lullabies-hush-little-baby-lyrics

"Who here knows about the Great Depression?" Yep, another boring day in History. I gained another detention for hanging with Janitor Harley after the school forbade it. Apparently we are bad influences on each other.

"I thought it was called the Grand Canyon?" Riley asked confused.

Mr. Matthews looked at her in disappointment. "Excellent." He sighed and then tried again. "Who here knows about the Great Depression? Revel?"

"Nothings going to beat that, sir." I laughed.

"Farkle, save me."

"The year was 1929," Farkle stood up. "The stock market crashed, everyone lost their money and their jobs. And the people who were comfortable were now lost and became known as... "

Everyone turned to Mr. Matthews. "The Forgotten. Working class people, the heart and soul of our country, basically taken for granted in the first place, and now, discarded and forgotten."

"How could that happen, sir?" Lucas sat up straighter.

"It shouldn't have, Mr. Friar."

Riley looked concerned. "But that could never happen to anyone in the Grand Canyon today, could it?" 

"I don't know, Riley." Mr. Matthews shrugged. "I'm sure you would never take anyone for granted, right?"

"I would never." Riley shook her head.

"And do you think there's anyone who cares about you who goes underappreciated or overlooked?"

Riley turned to Maya and I, "Maya, Revel, my life is so much better for having you in it."

"I know, pumpkin." Maya and I replied in unison. 

"Thank you, Dad. For the first time, I've actually understood something that you've tried to teach me."

"Please, bell, ring." Mr. Matthews prayed. "Ring!" He pretended the bell rang and grabbed his stuff and left.

"You could do that?" I asked bewildered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

At lunch I watched Farkle and Lucas make a volcano out of mashed potatoes, gravy (it was the lava), broccoli, and other food I couldn't identify. 

"Why would you waste semi good food on science stuff?" I shoved a mouthful of mashed potatoes in my mouth.

"It's fun, and it's not good food. Food in jail is probably better." Farkle scoffed.

I tensed at his words and Lucas stopped what he was doing to look at me. True, Lucas was never actually in jail, but he was in the JDM (juvenile delinquents meeting) and the snacks were chicken sandwiches and brown bananas (spoiler alert the chicken was not actually chicken). 

"Yeah," I forced a laugh. "Worse than jail food."

Maya and Riley came over talking about the lunch lady, "....happiest I've seen her." Maya was saying. "Look, I don't care what electives we get, just as long as we don't end up in--"

"Dun-dun-dun!" Farkle yelled dramatically.

"Cafeteria duty." Maya pointed toward the kitchen. Both her and Riley shuddered. 

I don't see cafeteria duty as a bad thing. In juvenile detention I had cafeteria duty AND janitorial service to get good behavior.

"Honestly, the cafeteria duty can't be that bad." I shrugged.

"You've never met the lunch lady. She's mean." Riley warned me.

I shrugged again. "Can't be worse than--"

Lucas cut me off, "Oppa! Ugh she was the worst."

"Yeah." I agreed. "'Two moldy bananas for you!'" I imitated her.

Lucas went back to building the food with a chuckle.

"Do you guys ever actually eat the food?" Mr. Matthews walked by.

"No." We said.

"Hey, how do you guys actually make this thing erupt?" Maya stood up without waiting for an answer and dropped a piece of food in it.

Farkle and Lucas gasped. "She's gonna blow!" Then hid under the table like cowards while their volcano of mashed potatoes was soon covered with gravy. 

"Why do they build their villages so close?" Riley hung on to Maya. "Why?"

I laughed then groaned as the bell rang. Stupid geometry next hour.

We all stood up leaving the trash on the table (which apparently is a custom in New York), and started to head off to our next class when Mr. Matthews stopped us.

"Hey, hey, hey. Where are you guys going? What's the rush?"

"Geometry." I grumbled but he ignored me.

"Geralyn, janitor Harley, can you come here for a minute?" Both Geralyn (the lunch lady) and Harley came over. "So, you guys don't think you should have to clean any of this up?" I'm not sure who it was supposed to be directed to. "Geralyn, do you think they realize when they waste their food like this it makes you feel bad?"

"I feel bad."

"And janitor Harley, do you think they realize when they make a mess in the cafeteria, it makes you feel bad?"

"I actually feel I deserve what I get. But I have all kinds of different issues." Without another word he walked away.

"You know, in just a few minutes you guys played with your food and you left a mess without any regard or respect for anyone else."

"It's not just us." Maya tried to defend.

"I know. And you're the good ones. I'm gonna go ahead and assign your electives now. Girls, your electives will be, and I don't think anybody saw this coming,"

"Oh no." I mumbled. I was on hole duty. I can't do more hole duty.

"Cafeteria duty." What? No hole duty?

"Oh awesome!" I went to high five Maya and Riley, but they weren't in a celebrating mood.

Geralyn came over and put her arms around the three of us. "How you doin'?"

"Pretty good."

"Wow. That's the worst elective in the school besides janitorial services." Lucas laughed slightly then realized his mistake. "Oh,"

"How you doin' boys I own?" Harley dropped a mop and bucket in front of them. "Meet Mr. Mop. And his pal, Mr. Bucket."

"Mr. Bucket is a jerk." I warned them.

"First you'll clean Mr. Mess in the cafeteria. Then I'll introduce you to the always delightful Mr. Vomit."

"Also a jerk."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley and Maya were late for our first day of electives. Geralyn taught me how to peel potatoes, and I informed that I did cafeteria duty in juvie. Apparently that moves me up a position.

"Hey, pretty lunch lady." Maya walked in talking to Riley.

"You are killing this thang." Riley shot back.

"Stop it." They both flicked their hair over their shoulders (their signature move).

"What about us? Aren't we the cutest things you ever did see?" Geralyn asked them.

Riley walked over to both of us and wiped the potato off my face and tried to fix Geralyn's hair net.

"Actually, these are being worn on the back of the head this season." She explained.

"I have my own distinct sense of fashion!" Geralyn took a deep breath and started to explain what they would do. "Welcome.... To the cafeteria." She pulled a sack off of a bowl of potatoes to reveal what they were doing. "We have a lot of fun here. And by fun, I mean potatoes. And by potatoes, I mean you mean we peel them. And by we, I mean you."

"Well, this actually doesn't seem so bad." Riley turned to Maya. "There's more, aren't there?"

"Look behind you, Scarecrow." Geralyn smirked. There was a large pile of potatoes. All of which Maya and Riley would have to peel. 

"Oh, I have a nickname." Riley turned around. "That's a lot of potatoes."

"When you have completed the peeling of the potato, you place the potato in the pot. That is all you do. Now, Revel and I are going to finish preparing tomorrow's lunch. You ladies will do what?"

"Peel the potatoes." Riley answered.

"Put them in the pot." Maya continued.

"What do you do?"

"Peel the potatoes." 

"Put them in the pot." 

"What do you not do?"

"Anything else." Riley whimpered.

"I believe we have communicated." Geralyn sounded happy with herself, but I knew Maya was going to do something stupid. Whatever it is, it better not mess with my lunch. "Except for one thing. This is a one-week class for you, a grade. But this is my world and I care very much about what happens back here. Understand?"

"Yes, Ms.--" Did Riley really not know Geralyn's name?

"Thompson."

"Thompson. Sorry."

"We should have known that."

"Mm-hmm."

"My name is--" Geralyn cut Riley off already knowing her name. She knew mine and informed me she knew everyone. She wasn't lying, I know liars.

"Riley Matthews. Loves fish stick Fridays."

"Who am I?" Maya dared.

"Maya Hart. I always give you extra to take home. I know all my kids. Well, I will leave you ladies to it." Geralyn and I left the room to finish preparing for tomorrow's lunch (mashed potatoes, green beans, and some sandwiches. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was working at Hawkin's Diner that night. I was five minutes late and the asshole manager gave me an extra shift for it. I wasn't going to get home until three in the morning. Katy (yes Maya's mother. She's the one that got me this job) and I were trying to control the madness in the house tonight. Apparently everyone wanted to go to Hawkin's Diner at four o'clock in the afternoon. 

"Yes, I know you ordered ten minutes ago, but we are understaffed tonight, please.... No sir.... SIR PUT THE CHAIR DOWN!" Katy yelled at one of the customers, but I couldn't look over and laugh at the situation because I was trying to balance three large trays of food on my arms.

"Chicken patty with a side of fries and extra ketchup." I put the plate on the table not caring who took it. "Fish sticks with broccoli. Grilled chicken salad with croutons. And five cokes and one beer." I placed the stuff down and left. The family didn't even acknowledge me--oh the lesson. The forgotten. I hate Mr. Matthews sometimes. Him and his stupid lectures about the world. Ugh....

"Hey Tien!" Mark, one of the only chefs working tonight, called me over to the kitchen. "Table two. Three turkey sandwiches, chocolate cake, and two ice creams bars."

I took the trays and repeated what I did before with table five. "Turkey sandwiches, chocolate cake, ice cream bars."

I left and went to collect my next order. This was going to be a long night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got two hours of sleep last night. I got home feed and changed Amabella then passed out. Right now I was barely able to keep myself up. My feet were sore from running around the kitchen all night and my wrists couldn't move without pain flaring through them. The worst part is I have to redo all of that again tonight. The manager (can't remember his name) put me and Katie on another double shift.

"...you prepared yesterday will be served today." Geralyn was saying, but I could barely keep my eyes open and my brain wasn't comprehending what she was saying.

"When do we get paid?" Maya asked.

"The grateful looks on everyone's faces will be pay enough for me." Riley said in her innocent voice.

"Riley-" I started, but Gerlayn cut me off.

"You want a pat on the back, you better get a longer arm. This is not the job for 'attaboys' or 'you go girls'." Then she looked over at me falling asleep again. "Or sleeping!"

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"Yesterday was the hardest I've worked in my life." Yesterday, even with the elective, the two hour shift, and an infant to care for wasn't even in the running for my hardest working day.

"I have no doubt of that." Geralyn agreed. "Now, for the actual hard part."

"That's a joke. You're funny, right?" Maya begged her.

"When that lunch bell rings, brace yourselves, rookies. It's about to get real in here. You're in charge of potatoes." Geralyn pointed to Riley. "You scoop them up, you plop them down. Scoop, then plop. Say it."

"Scoop and plop!" Riley repeated.

"Say it." Maya followed along.

"Now, after those plates go out, guess what happens next."

"We can go home." Riley smiled brightly with hope.

"Nope." I popped the 'p' and broke her smile of hope. Honestly at this point I don't care. I'm sooo tired.

"Those dishes come back with twice the fury. They come in here." Geralyn moved over to the thing where dishes come back on (I know the name, but my brain isn't working anymore. It's telling me I need sleep.) "You scrap, you rinse. They go on here." Geralyn pointed to the other dishing cleaning thing. (Think brain! Think!) "Where they go on their little dish journey, where they are reborn as clean dishes for tomorrow. Hallelujah! Say it."

"Hallelujah!"

"Say it."

The bell rang, "This is it. You ready?"

"To sleep?" I asked hopefully.

"How bad can middle school lunch get?" Riley asked the dumb question.

"Goodbye, tiny little girls. Let's do this thing."

We raced over to the serving area (mind's still blanking) and started serving the food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoo!" I wiped some sweat off my forehead.

"They have been served." Maya declared.

"By us," Riley continued.

"The servers." I finished.

"Except no one smiled." Riley realized the problem.

"And nobody said 'thank you'." Maya added on.

"And nobody even knew my name. And I go to school with these people." I wanted to scream at Riley to make her understand that people like Geralyn were the Forgotten.

"Welcome to my world." Geralyn nodded.

"Well, at least the hard part is over."

"Riley, that was the easy part." I warned her.

"Look over here. Wait for it. Here it comes. Wait for it." One plate came through.

"What?" Riley looked between me and Geralyn who looked like it was a dead body that came through, "This is it? Oh, I got this. This is nothing. I'll do it all. Scape." Riley scraped the components off the tray. "Rinse." She rinsed the tray clean. "Hallelujah. Maya, Revel you might as well go home."

I shrugged and leaned over the counter to wait for more plates to come falling through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Revel wake up." Someone shook me awake. I rubbed my eyes and looked up to see two very angry teens.

"Revel you slept through the worst part." Maya complained.

"I mean- Revel this is a grade and you slept through all of it making us do it all!" Riley yelled at me.

"Girls, girls." Geralyn tried to break it up.

Then.... My eyes fell on the clock. "Shit! Shit!" I cussed. "I'm so late. Sorry Riley, I'm really sorry." I ran out the door, caught the first bus I could and made it to Hawkin's Diner only ten minutes late.

"Tien!" The manager-Bob THAT"S HIS NAME!!! Anyway Bob pulled me into his office. 

"It's busy and we are understaffed and you are showing up late!" 

"I'm sorry! I really am. I had something-"

"No! I don't care about what's going on at home or school, just get to work. You're working until five."

"But sir-"

"Get. To. Work."

I hurried off and started cleaning off empty tables and taking orders. Katy was here with me, but she was busy with a drunk dude. I was alone tonight. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day I skipped school and turned off my phone. I slept all day. Well Amabella came first, then I slept as much as I could. Mrs. Friar was pissed I skipped school. She threatened to make me quit my job. I needed this job. I needed to get enough money to move into the apartment next to Maya's.

I rocked Amabella in my arms singing. "Hush little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a mockin' bird. And if that mockin' bird won't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring is brass, Mama's gonna buy you a lookin' glass. And if that lookin' glass gets broke, Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat. And if that billy goat won't pull

Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover. And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town. Sleep child, and when you do, Dream a dream to drift you through the night. That lingers through the day. Tonight, If dreams are few, I'll sing this lullaby for you. Sleep child, for dreams always-" I stopped singing when Lucas walked in the room. "Umm... what do you want?" 

"You skipped school." Lucas stated.

"And....."

"Are you sure you aren't taking on too much? I mean I could always help-"

"Oh no." I put Amabella back in her crib so I could argue with Lucas. "I'm fine. I just had a long shift last night."

"Riley said you fell asleep on cafeteria duty. She was really mad. I think you should just-"

"Lucas!" I yelled and he stopped talking. "Look.. I just got overwhelmed yesterday. I'll look into other jobs with less hours, but I need to work with what I got. I almost saved enough to buy an apartment. I just-"

"Need more money to keep you and Amabella afloat?" I nodded and Lucas's words. "Please don't take on too much." He begged. "I don't want to see you stressed, hurt, sick, or anything in that vicinity."

"Okay." I whipped a tear that began to fall off my cheek. "How'd janitorial duty go?" I changed the subject.

"Well you were right about Mr. Vomit."


	13. Girl Meets Flaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revel struggles with accepting an award

I apologized to Riley and Maya who forgave me and said it was okay. I didn't explain that I was working two shifts the night before or that I had three shifts that night, they just assumed I was lazy. So now I sat in Mr. Matthews class like I do everyday watching my best friends get awarded.

"Graduation and awards night is coming up. I am very proud of this class. Several of you will be recognized for your achievements throughout the year."

Maya and I looked at each other and knew what we had to do. "Awards are a scam! A girl like us never had a chance, Matthews. Never had a chance."

We looked over at Riley, "All right, I'll do it but it's ridiculous." Riley stood up with us. "It's a scam, Matthews! They never had a chance!"

"Maya will be receiving the Griff Hawkins Totally Cool Award." Maya sat down coolly. "And Revel you receive the Most Likely To Sleep During Anything Award." My heart stopped. Was this a joke? Sure I slept in class a lot, but that was because I either had a late shift or because Amabella kept me up all night.

Before I started to break down in class or have a flashback, I grabbed my backpack and found janitor Harley. He and Farkle were in the storage room talking. 

"Farkle what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" I asked him. Farkle looked up from his computers. 

"Revel! What are you doing?"

"I asked first." I put my hands on my hips. I was mostly avoiding talking about my embarrassing award.

"I-I'm hiding out." He confessed.

"From who?"

"No one!" He replied quickly. He was hiding from someone. Who?

"Okay." I shrugged. I learned from experience that some people just wanted to keep it to themselves. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

He turned and faced back to his computer. He pushed a few buttons. Suddenly I was hearing Riley's voice. "Sometimes I kinda feel invisible."

He pulled a mic up and spoke. "Sometimes you want to be invisible, Riley. Believe me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My congratulations on your confidence award." Harley told Farkle. Harley and I just got done cleaning the music room. "Will you be leaving the luxury of my custodial suite now?" He asked Farkle. Farkle smiled a little bit at his joke, but there was still something wrong with him. Harley turned to me. "And you, are you going to go back to class.... Ever?"

"You think we're hiding out, don't you? Well, Farkle and Revel don't hide out from anyone... except my aunt Barbra, she's a lip kisser." Farkle explained.

"You're avoiding someone, Farkle and Revel. What happened?"

"I was given the Most Likely to Sleep During Anything Award." Both of them gave me weird looks. "I know, dumb reason to run, but..." I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "I work forty-two hours a week. If I'm lucky. I go straight to Hawkins Diner after school to work my six hour shifts. Sometimes, since I'm new, I have to cover for other people and I end up working twelve hour shifts. Then when I get home, I have to care for Amabella. It's...." I didn't know how to explain it. "I don't mean to fall asleep, I just get so tired, I can't help it." Farkle hugged me. "Thanks Farkle."

"What about you Farkle, why are you hiding out in my closet?"

"I don't think it's something you can relate to janitor Harley."

"Oh, right, because I would never understand how cruel kids could be to each other, right?"

"You were like me as a kid?" Pfft...

"I just know what you might be dealing with is all. I'm not proud of how I know... but I know."

From outside the door, we could hear Riley, Lucas, Maya, and Billy talking. Janitor Harley took this to a point to show them where we were hiding.

"Troubled lads, I now release you to the hands of your caring friends. 'Cause they... have time for this."

Billy wasn't there. Huh... I swear I heard his voice. 

"You wanna tell us what's going on here, buddy?" Lucas asked Farkle.

"Are you my buddy?" Farkle questioned.

"What?"

"Spill it, Farkle." Maya ordered.

"Somebody made fun of my turtlenecks." He explained.

"You turtlenecks?" Riley looked confused.

"Yeah, somebody said they make me weird."

Maya rolled his eyes. "You are weird."

"She doesn't mean that." Riley glared at Maya.

"Sure, I do. He knows he is. He embraces it. But you already know that, Farkle. That's what makes you unique."

"What good is being unique if somebody knows you're really not?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucas caught me in the halls later. "You walked out earlier and I forgot to ask why. So, why?"

There was something shiny in his pocket. Money? Jewelry? I don't know, but it was taking everything in me not to try and steal it from his pocket. My hands were twitching and I forced myself to look at Lucas and act natural. "I don't know, maybe I wanted to take a nap. You know I was voted 'Most Likely To Sleep During Anything' might as well prove it to everyone." I stomped away, my whole body shaking with anger. It took me a few seconds to realize what I did until I looked at the silver coin in my hand that read, '12 Months Stealing Free'. Lucas freaking set me up! He practically wanted me to steal it from him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night I confronted Lucas. "You wanted me to steal from you, asshole! You wanted to see the look on my face when I lost what I'd been trying to accomplish for years!" I pushed him a little. "Asshole! Why would you do that? Are you that bad of a friend that you wanted to watch me suffer through this again? Watch me fight every urge I had to not steal? What? Huh?"

Lucas held me still. "I.. I didn't mean for you to steal it. I know how hard you worked for the chip. I just-" Lucas sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Revel you are my best friend and I never meant to hurt you. Neither did Maya, Riley, Mr. Matthews, or anyone else. I mean remember in fifth grade what award I was given?" He laughed slightly in memory of his 'Most Likely To Be The Scrawny Kid Forever'. I nodded and wiped warm tears from my cheeks. "Please just... don't stay mad. Come into school with a different mindset and try again. I understand if you are mad, but please try to remember that we never wanted you to feel bad about yourselves. It's just an award."

"Yeah." I nodded absent mindfully. "Just an award..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did what Lucas told me to do and I was putting on a smile and trying (not really) to pay attention to Mr. Matthews.

"Gandhi. What'd he do?"

"Freed Ireland." Maya answered in a heartbeat.

"Try again."

Maya thought for a second. "Freed Ireland."

"Freed India." Mr. Matthews corrected.

"Before or after he freed Ireland?" I asked.

Mr. Matthews just stared at me for a few seconds, probably wondering what was going on in my head before moving on. "Jackie Robinson. What'd he do?"

Billy answered. "First Irish guy to play in the major leagues after Gandhi freed 'em."

"I-- I quit." Mr. Matthews gave up.

From the speaker on Farkle's desk, Farkle yelled. "But you can't quit, sir!"

"And you need to be in my class, Farkle. How long are you gonna be out sick?"

Farkle faked a cough. "Don't know. Pretty bad cold, sir."

"Okay. Feel better." Mr. Matthews pointed to a girl in an orange hijab. "What about her?"

"That's Malala." Riley clapped her hands together. "The Taliban doesn't think that women should be educated. She stood up to them and became the first teenager ever to be nominated for a Nobel peace prize."

"Sometimes the world presents you with opportunities to show who you really are. Will you have the courage to stand up to someone who tries to take your spirit away?"

Riley looked at Farkle's speakers then back to Mr. Matthews. "May I be excused?"

"For what?"

"The world has presented me with an opportunity."

Maya, Lucas, and I sat for a few more minutes until the bell rang and went to find Farkle and Riley. They were in the janitor's closet. 

As soon as we walked in Riley blurted out, "Somebody told Farkle that he doesn't deserve us as friends." 

"Who?" I was gonna kill whoever said that. I didn't care if I had to go back to jail for it, I was going to kill them. Nobody gets to say anything bad about my friends and get away with it.

"It's not important."

"It's the most important thing in the world. I'll find him myself and I'd hate to be him when I do." I was about to go find the person who told Farkle this when Lucas picked me up. "Am I there yet?" Lucas sat me down away from the door.

"Farkle, don't let what anybody says get to you. That's what gives them power." Lucas explained.

"Why are you my friend?" My breath hitched at his words.

"What is it with that?"

Riley sighed, "Farkle... would you just come back to class?"

Harley spoke up. "Pippi Longstockings is right. I, janitor Harley Keiner, was in my youth a school meanie. And someone you all know and love was often the target of my shenanigans. But his will was so strong, it changed the nature of our relationship forever. In fact, he even got me this job, and now I hold him in the highest esteem." I snorted and tried to hold back a laugh. 

Mr. Matthews came into the janitor's closet after he said that looking for us. "Hey, Johnny Baboon!"

Everyone but me looked at Mr. Matthews confused, "Johnny Baboon?"

"You promised me!" Mr. Matthews looked at Harley mad.

"Opps." Janitor Harley faked sincerity. 

Then Mr. Matthews noticed Farkle in the room. "Farkle, you're here. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sir."

"Good. Then I'll see you in class tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is a very special place to us, Lucas." Riley told Lucas while we all sat at the bay window.

"This is where Riley, Revel, and I figure out our most important stuff."

"Do you ever talk about me here?" 

We all leaned in close together. Riley gaped. "What do I do now? I don't know what to do,"

"Start over and move on." I offered.

Riley chuckled and tried again, "This is a very special place to us, Lucas."

"Do you ever talk about me here?"

Riley turned to me, "You gave me bad advice!"

Lucas shrugged. "Well, I appreciate you having me here. Whatever Farkle's dealing with, he shouldn't have to go through it alone."

"I want my Farkle back. We're not as good without him." Maya said. "If you tell him I said that, I will jack you up, son." She threatened. 

The door opened and Mr. Matthews walked in. "Ah, the brain trust. You guys have one day to figure this out and fix Farkle or else you come to an adult. You understand me?" We all nodded. Mr. Matthews looked pleased and walked back out.

"If we could just find out who this guy was, then I know you or Revel would take care of him." Maya pointed to Lucas and I.

"What? Beat him up?" Lucas looked opposed to the idea. I mean last time he beat someone up, it landed them in the hospital so I understand that, but it's Farkle we are talking about. "Maya, all those people on the blackboard never became like the people who were attacking them by resorting to their methods. It's just not the first response of an intelligent person." I honestly don't know if I should laugh at that since Lucas's first response used to be beating someone up.

Mr. Matthews ran back into the room and glared at Lucas with wild eyes. "Get out!"

Lucas tried climbing out the window as fast as he could, but Mr. Matthews grabbed his foot and pulled off his shoe. He looked happy with himself and hugged the shoe tightly.

"I better go before you start making out with that shoe." And threw myself out the window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was in the gym the next day doing back flips off one of the mats. The gym teacher told me not to, but they were fun so I'm not listening. Lucas, Maya, Riley, and Billy were talking over near the ropes. Lucas was still pissed about what happened to Farkle and that Farkle thought that Lucas would really just abandon him or lie about being friends.

Right as I was about to set for another back tuck I saw Lucas shove Billy against the wall. "Not again." I ran over to hear some of their conversation. 

"...this to Farkle?" I might just let him beat up Billy. I heard three words and already know what this is about. 

"Why would you do that to a guy like him?" I joined Lucas in pushing Billy against the wall.

"I don't know. 'Cause he's a guy like him." Billy must have noticed Lucas and I's grip loosen and took this as an opportunity to shrug us off. "You wanna let me go now?" He pulled my hand, gripping his shirt off.

"You're the nothing, Billy!" Lucas pushed him against the wall again.

This wasn't right. I realized. Lucas and I shouldn't be resorting back to our old ways.

Maya must have realized this wasn't right as well because she yelled. "Lucas, don't."

"I thought this is what you wanted, Maya." Lucas turned back.

"What? She wanted you to pop me, Mr. Perfect and Miss Sleepy?" He looked at the two of us. "Well, I don't think that's what he's gonna do."

"Yeah," Lucas chuckled before remembering that Billy was the bad guy. "No, that's what I'm gonna do."

"No!" I jumped Lucas's back. "That's what he wants. He wants you to be like him." Then I whispered in his ear. "Keep your record going, don't lose your chip."

Billy groaned. "You see, Lucas is like me. We live in a cloud of awesomeness, remember? Handshake?" Billy did what must've been part of their handshake.

"I don't like you like this." Lucas pointed at Billy. "This isn't the Billy I know. And I wanna know why and I wanna know now." Lucas turned his head slightly so he could see me out of the corner of his eyes. "And would you get off my back."

I slid off his back and walked over to Maya and Riley.

"Come on, man, the Billy you know is your teammate, and that comes way before whatever these guys are to you."

I lunged myself at Billy, but Maya held me back. 

"'These guys?'" Riley asked.

"Boy, are you wrong." Lucas shook his head. "These guys are my friends.. All the time, not just on the field."

"How are you even friends with that little guy?"

"Because I can depend on him. Because he's the most loyal person I've ever met, because he's my best friend."

"You really mean that?" Farkle's voice came from somewhere. I couldn't figure out where until I looked up and saw Farkle at the top of the rope. "You're my best friend, too!"

"Farkle, how'd you get up there?" I questioned. "I thought you couldn't climb the ropes."

"I can't! But in desperate situations, apparently I can fly!" 

Riley and Maya ran over to get the mats and I started climbing on the rope next to him. Lucas continued to talk with Billy, but I was more focused on making sure Farkle stayed holding on to the ropes until Riley and Maya got the mats under him.

As soon as Maya and Riley got the fourth mat under us I let go of Farkle's hand and let him fall. Problem was that he dragged me down too. I missed the mat which made matters worse. 

"Ow." I groaned. Maya and Riley rushed to my side to help me out. I stood up and helped Farkle up.

"Who's 'us'?" Lucas was asking.

Billy shook his head and started walking out of the gym. Harley confronted near the door. "Nice. That's exactly the way I used to think. Now here I am.... With a mop." Billy ignored him and continued to stomp out of the gym.

"Okay, we're done. It's all over." Maya said faintly. "Nothing more to do except carry on with our simple middle-school lives. Except.." Maya pointed at Riley.

"What are we gonna do about Billy?" Riley stared ahead.

"Riley, you can't fix everything." I tried to tell her, but she glared at me. "Okay, go ahead."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In class the next day before Mr. Matthews arrived, Riley passed out black markers to everyone. We all wrote our main flaw on the top of our heads. Maya wrote broken, Lucas wrote Mr. Perfect, and I wrote screw up.

Mr. Matthews walked in pretty confused. "What's going on?"

A girl from the back of our class with the words tattletale scribbled across her face, stood up and yelled. "Riley made us write on our heads!"

Mr. Matthews looked at Riley, "Riley?"

"Insecure." She told him. "It's always mattered more to me what my friends think about me than what I think."

"Maya? Revel?" He looked at the two of us. 

"When we own it, it doesn't make us feel so bad." Maya explained.

"Good. So, before someone can use our own flaws against us, maybe it would help us to admit we all have 'em." We all looked at Billy. He was definitely getting uncomfortable under all our stares and tried to bolt out the door. "You going somewhere, Mr. Ross? Trying to be invisible?"

"Believe me, it doesn't help." Farkle told him and lifted up his bangs to reveal his word: nothing.

"You know, Billy, you seem to be the only one here not wearing a flaw. Do you not have any?" Mr. Matthews observed.

"Well, none that I know of."

"What made you treat Farkle the way you did?" I demanded.

"Yeah." Riley said, "We never thought of you this way, Billy."

"I always thought of you as the good guy." Lucas added on.

"Look, I like people who are.... Like me." He explained. "Is that a flaw? Because I don't think so."

"Yes." Everyone spoke at once.

"You don't think I know I'll never be a genius freak like you?" Billy pointed at Farkle. "I shouldn't make fun of that?"

"No!" We yelled at him.

Billy scoffed. "Stop making me feel bad. I already feel bad enough you got such great friends." Billy paused. "And that makes me feel.... I don't know. Is there a word for that?"

"You're jealous." Riley realized. "But you're Billy Ross."

"Yeah." Billy scoffed again. "I'm Billy Ross. Jealous of you? Of him? Because this little guy doesn't need to hit a basketball to... have friends? Does that sound like jealousy to you?" Billy didn't wait for us to answer, for he already knew it. "Let me see that." Billy pointed to the marker. Riley handed him the marker. Billy took it and handed it to Farkle.

Farkle stood up and wrote 'jealous' on his head.

"Welcome to the team." I joked.

"Thanks. Glad to be here."

"We're all human beings. We're all on the same team. And if we sense our own flaws because we see them in others..... It's true friends who help us wipe them away." Mr. Matthews handed Riley a wet cloth.

Riley leaned over and started to wipe off Maya's flaw. Mr. Matthews passed more wet cloths back. Lucas wiped mine off and I wiped his off. Billy wiped off Farkle's, but he told Farkle he wanted to keep him on a little while longer. Then they did a handshake (what was people's obsession with handshakes?).

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, we've given out our award for confidence.... " Mr. Matthews was giving out the awards. From besides me, Farkle raised up his trophy a little bit. "Cool.." 

"'Sup?" Maya said from the other side of me.

"Our 'Most Likely' awards."

"You okay?" Lucas asked me.

"It's just an award. I'm not going to let it judge me." I reminded him and myself.

"... And we've acknowledged our scholar athlete."

"You jealous?" Lucas turned to Billy showing him his trophy.

"Yeah," He sucked his breath in, "But I'm working on it."

"You okay, Riles? I know getting an award was a big deal for you." Maya said.

"I'm okay. Really." She was lying, but I didn't want to announce it in front of everyone so I stayed quiet.

"And now for our final award of the evening." Mr. Matthews held up a small plaque. "The John Quincy Adams Spirit Award goes to the student with the courage to stand up for what they believe in and change for the better. Now the award is voted on by the student body, so we have no idea in advance who will win." Mr. Matthews opened the envelope to the plaque. "Huh," He smiled "Proud." He looked at Riley and dragged his finger across his forehead. "Riley Matthews."


	14. Girl Meets Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas, Riley, and Farkle run for class president

I knew I looked like crap with my brown hair in a messy bun, my bloodshot eyes, and dried tears on my cheeks, but anyone who said anything about it was going to regret it.

"Mr. Friar! Miss Tien!" Mr. Matthew greeted us as we entered the room. I kept my head low so he wouldn't ask why I looked like shit. "She okay?" He pointed to me.

"She's fine." I replied snarkily.

Lucas nudged me. "Sorry for being late, sir. Our flight was delayed." He handed Mr. Matthews our slips.

"You guys went back to Texas again this weekend?" Riley asked us.

"Yeah." I mumbled. "Went to all the hoe-downs and cattle pageants." 

Everyone seemed taken aback by my attitude. I rolled my eyes and laid my head down on my desk.

"Ignore her, she's pissed. And yeah, I visited my friends."

"He misses his old friends." Riley gushed.

"Aww. Cowboy's got the blues." Maya made fun. "Campfire for one..." I ignored Maya's singing and teasing and went into a flashback.

"Revel, it's your turn." The therapist informed me. I stopped messing with my medical bracelet.

"I'm fine." I didn't want to talk. I never did.

"Have you stolen anything in the past few days?" My therapists continued like I hadn't said anything. 

"Well I haven't stolen anything, but you sure have stolen my will to live."

Everyone in the group laughed except for one boy. He seemed uncomfortable. He must be new or old (I don't pay attention in the group sessions). 

"I see you have a hospital bracelet on." T (stands for therapists since I can't remember her name) noticed. "What happened?"

"Foster family broke a glass bottle over my head again." I admitted.

"Again?" T hated when this happened. "It's the third time in two months."

"It's fine." I shrugged. "They haven't touched Amabella so everything is fine."

"I'm gonna contact the social workers again. Maybe they can get you put in a better home."

"Maybe." I shrugged. I really didn't care. Just as long as they didn't lay a hand on Amabella. She and Clementine were the only people I cared about in the world.

"Lucas!" T turned to the old/new guy all peppy as if our depressing conversation never happened. "How's everything been going? How's your anger?"

Lucas's face reddened a bit. He was probably new if he still got embarrassed about whatever he did. "It's going good, ma'am." Ma'am? What a polite person. What the hell was he doing here? "My uncle Buster got a new horse for his ranch. I've been helping out there, it was part of my punishment from my parents, but I really enjoy it."

"And what about your anger?"

Once again his face reddened. "It's fine. I did break a fence on accident, but that was because I got scared while building a dog house and swung the hammer in the wrong direction." Everybody laughed slightly.

The rest of the meeting passed by quickly after that. Everyone was in a better mood (yes, even me). T placed out the snacks, and allowed us to talk for the rest of our time. We would have left, but the rules are you have to spend an hour in group therapy. Can't leave any sooner.

I grabbed one of the bananas which was almost completely brown and sat in one of the empty seats. Lucas came over with a chicken sandwich in hand and sat next to me.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you." I advised him.

He looked confused. "Why?"

"That ain't chicken in there."

"It can't be that bad." Lucas took a bite of the sandwich and spit it back out immediately. "Oh my god that's terrible!"

I laughed at him. "I warned you, cowboy."

"Shut up." He grumbled.

We sat in silence for a few seconds. We didn't know what to talk about. I mean I could tell him about my life story. That could keep us busy until the hour is up, but I don't tell anybody (especially people I just met) about my life.

"I like cats." I said at last.

"Huh?"

"I like cats." I repeated.

"Okay... I like cows?" He seemed unsure of what to say.

"Why?"

"I don't know! I panicked!" He threw his hands up in the air, dropping the sandwich. "They give us milk." He decided at last.

"And ice cream." 

"Ooh.. Ice cream." Lucas practically drooled.

"And cheese."

"Eh." Lucas's face scrunched up in disgust.

"True." We fell back into the silence again. "What's your favorite color?" 

I came out of my flashback happier (way happier).... and to hear a harmonica and Maya singing. I took this as a chance to take out my ukulele (please don't ask, it's an embarrassing story of why I have one in my bag) and play along until Maya notices.

Maya heard us playing and glared at us. "I will never get to the two of you, will I?"

I shook my head, "No."

"But we sure do appreciate the effort." Lucas finished.

Maya sighed angrily, "Ooh!"

"Okay, guys," Mr. Matthews greeted all of us. Had we not started class yet? Damn, I hoped my flashback would at least be long enough for me to skip class. "Seventh grade student council elections are coming up." Everyone (but Farkle) groaned while nobody (but Farkle) cheered. "Why that?" Mr. Matthews asked, confused.

"Because every year somebody runs, makes promises and nobody does anything." Riley explained.

"Yeah." Maya agreed. "What lunkhead is running the elections this year?"

"How ya doing?"

"Can't you just make a change?" Riley asked.

"You know what? It's up to you guys to make changes. Since we're studying alternate forms of governments this year, why not let the candidates run in any form of government they choose?" Farkle cheered while everyone else groaned. "So any nominations?"

"I, Farkle, nominate I, Farkle, for dictator." Farkle raised his hand.

Mr. Matthews chuckled. "You can't just nominate yourself, Farkle."

Some kid that sat behind Lucas raised his hand, "I'll nominate him."

"Really?" Farkle seemed surprised. I wouldn't blame him. HE WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD DON'T GIVE HIM A CHANCE!!! I mean he's still my friend and all.

"Yeah. I like ya. I got your back."

"I thought you had my back." Farkle turned to Lucas.

Lucas looked back and forth for a second and glared at the dude. "I got his back."

"Whoa, easy there, harmonica."

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Lucas asked. I'd never seen him before, but then again it was like when I was in therapy: I don't give a shit.

"He's the rebel." Riley told us.

"Well, what am I?"

"Oh, you're the good guy, You're our moral compass." I laughed so hard at Farkle's words, I could barely breathe. Lucas patted me on the back trying to get me to calm down.

"Wow. That sounds hard to pull off."

"Yeah, but you're really good at it."

"Thanks." Lucas sat up straighter.

"See?" Farkle pointed out. 

"He's right, Friar. Represent democracy." Mr. Matthews didn't ask.

"I don't know, Mr. Matthews. If democracy worked, then we'd" He motioned to me and him, "might have gotten a vote on where we get to live." My mood deflated, remembering about our trip to Texas.

Riley turned to face the front of the class, "I nominate Lucas Friar for president."

"Okay." Mr. Matthews shrugged. "Second?" Riley raised her hand, obviously not understanding the whole concept of democracy and blah de blah. "No, honey, you nominated him. You can't second the nominati-- alright, fine." He gave up.

Maya leaned closer to Riley, "What are you doing? He's your competition."

"I'm not running for anything." Riley looked at her confused.

"Yes, you are. I got plans for you." Maya stared off imagining 'her plans'. "Yeah....."

"You know what?" I spoke up. "Lucas is going to run for president. He thinks it would be an honor."

"Revel, what-" I kicked him in the shin. "I mean yes, sir, it would be an honor. Thank you, Riley."

"My pleasure, buddy." Riley chuckled and held out her hand. Maya and I slammed our hands down on our desk in unison. "I don't know how it happens." She explained.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked down the halls with Riley and Maya on our way to the next class. "..nominate you for something." Maya was saying. "This is your chance to be the voice of strong-willed, confident women everywhere."

"I wanna be a princess!" Riley announced.

"Listen to me--" Maya started knowing this idea wasn't going to end well.

"No! You listen to me. I'm twelve years old. The window is closing on my princess dream. I'm too old to be a flower girl, and I ain't winning any pageants until I grow into these limbs." Riley stomped around. "Princess is all I have. Get it for me."

Maya looked at me, pleading with me with her eyes to do something. So I did, "As you wish, m'lady."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I barged into Riley's house. I didn't care that it was eight o'clock, if Mr. Matthews had to be my teacher, then I'm coming over whenever I please. And the Friar's are fighting again.

"Hey Matthews!" I opened the door. "Amabella and I are staying the night." I announced.

Mr. Matthews turned to look at me then looked back at Riley. "Can't you have normal friends?"

"QUIET!" Topanga ran out into the living room. "Auggie will not go to sleep. I don't know what's wrong."

"I have an idea." I raised my hand as if I was in class.

"Mommy." Auggie came into the living room with us. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly and wearing a green onesie. 

I could see Riley sneak off into her room so I followed her. "I'm staying the night." I said once in her room.

"I heard." She went into the closet and grabbed some blankets and pillows.

"Thank you." I hugged her. "It means a lot."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝟹 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

"....right to vote." Lucas was saying. He had dressed up for his speech, actually prepared a speech, and got a lot of people to listen to him. I'm impressed. "Because if that right is taken away you know what you get?" Lucas pointed over to Farkle. 

Farkle had his area decorated like he was going to kidnap us at any second. Lucas finished off his speech, and we watched as everyone joined Farkle's side because he was giving out free stuff.

BORE!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝟸 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

"I am princess Riley Matthews and I approveth this messageth." Riley was sitting on a white 'unicorn' waving around a torch.

Maya walked in on the video and started talking fast. "The Riley Matthews campaign is not responsible for anyone who thinks a horse is a unicorn."

Maya and Riley high fived as they saw the video and the entire class clapped for them. I had to say it was pretty good.

"Well, America's always held a special place in it's heart for princesses." Mr. Matthews turned off the TV the video was playing on. "Perhaps Riley will be the first one ever voted in."

"Not after everyone sees Farkle's commercial. Play it sheephead" Farkle told Mr. Matthews.

"Sheephead?"

Farkle smiled "T-shirt?"

"Ooh! Free stuff." Mr. Matthews gladly grabbed the shirt and put the tape in.

In the video Farkle was sitting behind Mr. Matthews desk with a white, fluffy, cat in his hands. "Good evening, Farkle Nation." Video-Farkle greeted us. "It is I, your benevolent dictator. As you can see, I am kind to all the creatures of Farkle Nation. Our animal friends need room to roam free, but my opponent Riley Matthews feels the proper palace for a horse is trapped within the confines of her New York apartment bedroom." It showed a video of Riley and Maya feeding and petting the horse in Riley's bedroom.

Riley marched up to the screen and shut off the commercial. "How could you do this to me, Farkle?" She yelled. "You told me you were just gonna take a picture of the horse."

Farkle shrugged, "I want to win."

"Farkle you don't do that to friends." My mood deflated like a balloon and my brain was wiring. It was like deja vu.

"Farkle, don't even talk to me." Riley sat back down and refused to look at him. Farkle looked slightly guilty at what he did.

"Riley, I...." He started, but didn't know what to say.

"Okay, this campaign just got dirty. Yay." Maya inhaled sharply. "Team princess needs to strike back hard."

"Fine." Riley stood back up and faced the class. "The truth is... that horse had a dream. All that horse ever wanted was to be a unicorn, and I made that dream come true. That horse loves me!" Everyone appalled Riley's lie.

"He spies on us, he'll spy on all of you! I bet there's cameras on all of you right now. What you have to decide is if you want to live in a magical kingdom or a police state." Maya screamed. I would have agreed with her except this was triggering bad memories. The yells- screams.

Before anyone else could say anything else to set me off into a full blown panic attack, I got up and simply left. 

I went into the empty gym and sat on the mats. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Everything was starting to blur. It could be because I was about to pass out or because I was crying. I covered my ears and shut my eyes, hoping this attack would end soon. Maybe it will be a small one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night I ended up outside Mr. Matthews house again. I didn't go in though. I stood outside for ten minutes with Amaella asleep in my arms before heading back to the Friar's. 

They were still fighting. It would keep me awake and Amabella would sometimes wake up and scream. I really hope I get that apartment (I put in the lease, just waiting on an answer).

~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

Lucas was on the phone with his father trying to sort out the problem that had been making them fight for days now. I was on the phone with Clemetine. She was crying. The boarding school that agreed to take her in until I could get my own place, wasn't allowing her to come live with the Friar's and I until I'm deemed worthy or the Friar's are (The Friars were, but they just couldn't support another kid).

We were walking by Maya and Riley, before they could say anything to us, Lucas lowered his phone, "Excuse us. We're dealing with something personal." We both continued to walk.

"Please don't keep leaving me here." Clem cried.

"I love you so much, Clem. As soon as I get word that I got the apartment, I'll bring you here to New York." I reassured her.

"I don't want to go to New York!" Clem choked back a sob. "All m-my friends are here. And who w-will c-check on Mom? M-make sure she d-doesn't drink too much."

"Clem, Lucas and I didn't want to come to New York either, but once you get here it's not as bad as it seems. There's not much room to run around, and the air isn't as clear, but we've made friends. I found a job. I found a place for us. We can deal with that, right?" As I was talking, I turned to see Maya and Riley listening in. "Look I got to go." I hung up on her. 

I looked at them. "What? Aren't you going to use that against Lucas, gonna tell everyone that we didn't want to come here?" I stomped away, not caring what they had to say next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The winner is.." Mr. Matthews looked at his tablet about to announce the winner, but Maya and Riley barged into the gym.

"Hold on!" Maya yelled.

"Maya, not now." Mr. Matthews told her.

"It has to be right now, Dad." Riley and Maya marched up onto the stage with a disc in Maya's hand.

"We have one more very important campaign commercial that everybody needs to see." Maya announced. 

I already knew what this was about. She got Lucas and I saying we don't like it here in New York and is going to out us everybody. Might as well see if there are any job openings back in Texas.

"Girls, we've already seen the campaign commercials." Mr. Matthews tried to tell them. "The votes are in. This isn't gonna change anything."

"Yes, it will." Riley lowered her voice. "This isn't about the votes. It's about Lucas and Revel."

"Did you know about this, Mr. Friar, Ms. Tien?" Mr. Matthews questioned. "Is this okay with you?"

I slouched down a little and this was really happening. We made awesome friends for them to stab us in the back.... Again. "Yes, sir." I mumbled.

"If this is the kind of friends they want to be then... it's okay with me." Lucas shrugged looking as down as me.

Mr. Matthews took the DVD and put it in the player. Everyone turned to watch the video. It opened on a background that looked a lot like Asher (a friend of Lucas and I, from juvenile camp).

Then Asher walked in. "Hey, my name's Asher Garcia." He greeted in his texan accent. Lucas and I sat up. Was this the right video? "I've known Lucas just about all my life." Right, I forgot they met in elementary and I met both of them in juvenile camp. Opps. "There's nobody finer I know. I'm here to endorse him for your seventh-grade president."

Then Dylan (my long life best friend who Lucas met at juvenile camp. I just realized all my friends back in Texas are from jail or juvenile camp. Huh.) ran into the video. "I'm Dylan Orlando." I laughed slightly. Dylan hasn't changed a bit. "How you doing, Rev and Luke? Looks like you made some new friends." He pointed out. "They thought it was important we recorded this for you."

"Is there really a.... Farkle?" Asher asked.

Then the best surprise happened. "I'm Clementine Tien." Clem ran next to Dylan. "I'm Revel's little sister." She wasn't wearing her school uniform which was... odd. "I've known Lucas since I was three. Let me tell you.. "She paused for dramatic affect. "Lucas is the best person I know. He helped Revel and I out when our parents were in a... tough spot. I don't know what class president is... but I hope you pick Lucas because he is one of the most kind people I know."

"So, anyway," Dylan shoved Clem lightly. "After Riley and Maya went out of their way to find us, and we got to know them a little, I think we can endorse them too." I'm one hundred percent sure Dylan doesn't know what endorse means, but it's sweet so I'm going with it.

"Yeah, I approve that message." Asher pointed at the camera, and Clem tried to mimic him.

Farkle stood up, "I second that." He went over and sat by Riley and Maya on the stage. "I don't wanna be dictator anymore. Dictators don't have any friends."

Lucas and I got up and sat with them. "Thank you for the video. That..." Lucas trialed off.

"Wasn't what we expected to see." I finished for him.

"No more going home for the weekends?" Riley asked hoping he'd say no.

"We are home." We put out arms around each other and sat in the wonderful silence of friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Farkle, Lucas, Maya, and Riley were cleaning up the gym, Mr. Matthews pulled me aside.

"Revel," Oh shit! What did I do? What did I do? My mind raced over my memories of the last few days. "Riley told me about how your little sister is back in Texas and they won't let her leave the boarding school until you can get a steady inflow of money and a place to stay." Oh... that. "I had Clementine flown out here."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You, Amabella, and Clementine can stay with my family until you get that steady income of money and an apartment."

My jaw dropped to the floor. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious." 

I squealed and hugged him. Clementine, Amabella, and I were going to be in the same place, actually sleeping in the same house (apartment) for the first time in over a year.


	15. Girl Meets Home For The Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revel, Clem, and Amabella spend Christmas with the Matthews and someone from there past shows up.

I only stayed with the Matthews for a week and then I got my own apartment. Clem, Amabella, and I all moved there. It was leaky, gross, and it was only a one bedroom, but it was our place and we loved it.

We spent the weekend after we moved in, repainting all the walls. Clem and I agreed on gray and blue for the walls. We didn't have a ton of money, but we had enough to buy some kitchen appliances (the apartment already came with bathroom appliances) and beds for the three of us. The living room was pretty empty, but Clem and I didn't care too much. 

Some things that did bother me was: Clem is taking seventh grade classes with me and my friends (she was 'Farkle smart'.) Amabella was a lot fussier than normal. It was Christmas season. I hate the Christmas season.

"Let's just spend it with the Matthews." Clem offered after we realized that Chinese food would take an hour to arrive. "They let Maya spend it with them."

"Maya has known them longer." I tried to reason with her, but my stomach was on her side. "Fine..." I mumbled while bringing out my phone. "I'll text them."

I sent Riley a text informing her I was coming over, and bundled up the kids.

The subway was full of people carrying presents, talking to loved ones, and just being freaking merry. Did I mention I hate this time of year?

I met Maya outside the apartment complex. "Hey!" I greeted her.

"Sup." She nodded and hit the buzzer. 

Cory's voice was on the other side. "Shawn?" He asked hopefully. Who was Shawn?

"Maya!" Maya corrected him.

"And Revel." I added in.

"Shawn?" Cory asked again.

"Ah.. what's the matter? Your boyfriend isn't here yet?" Maya joked.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

I rolled my eyes and went to the elevator. I pushed the number of what floor the Matthews lived on. The elevator opened and I barged into their house with Maya right behind me.

"I don't even think he exists." 

"I don't even know who we are talking about."

"I just want food." Clem complained and headed toward Topanga. 

Matthews ignored Clem and I and glared at Maya. "He's real, Maya. I've known the guy my whole life and he's real."

"You're fun to play with." I had to agree with Maya on that. Matthews was easy to fool.

"Riley, I got you a present." Maya went over to Riley, and handed her a green card.

"A donation has been made in your name to the Maya new winter coat fund." Riley read the card. I had to keep myself from laughing at this. "Thank you, it's beautiful." Riley admired her jacket. 

"I'm glad you like it. I never know what to get people. So what's the deal on the mysterious uncle Shawn."

"I don't see him a lot." Riley put down the card. "I don't think he likes me." Who wouldn't like Riley? What the hell is wrong with this Shawn?

"How could someone not like you?" I asked.

"Ask him and let me know." Riley shrugged.

The intercom buzzed and Mr. Matthews ran toward it yelling, "Shawn!" 

He pushed the button and an unfamiliar voice came on. "No, it's your parents,"

"Rats!" Mr. Matthews you dumb idiot. You are still holding the freakin' button!

"Let me explain how a speaker box works." The voice cut off by a female voice.

"These holidays are important to me, Alan. How much of a fiasco do you think it's gonna be?" Cory looked at Mrs. Matthews apologetically.

The male voice came back on, "Let me explain how a speaker box works."

"Hideous already." Matthews exclaimed.

"HOW ABOUT I THROW THIS POT AT YOU?" Topanga held up a pot.

Mr. Matthews went to the tree and started cradling one of the ornaments. "They don't think you're real, but I know you are." A pan came flying in the air and by Mr. Matthews. I caught it right before it hit his face. "She tried to hurt you, Shawn." Mr. Matthews continued to baby the ornament. How the hell is he our teacher?

The bell to the apartment rang and Auggue ran over yelling, "Grandma! Grandpa!" He opened the door to reveal two elders. One had cookies in her hands and the other had on an actual ugly sweater.

The one with the ugly sweater (probably also known as 'Grandpa') handed Auggie a folded ten dollar. "Here's ten bucks. Write me better."

"Okay." Auggie shrugged and took the ten dollars then turned to the person with cookies (probably 'Grandma'). 

"Here's cookies," She handed him the tray of cookies.

"Thanks." Auggie took the cookies and handed her the folded ten bucks. "Here's ten bucks."

"And.... that's how you do that." 'Grandma' took the money and put in her purse with a smirk. 

The grandparents went to hug the relatives (and Maya) while Clem, Amabella, and I stood to the side awkwardly. (Well Amambella wasn't standing, more like sleeping in my numb arms.)

"Hi, random stranger." The grandmother hugged me. Then realized she had no idea who I was. "Uh... hi?"

"I'm Revel, a friend of Maya and Riley." I held out my free hand. Wow I'm like a real adult. Shaking hands and everything. "My little sister Clementine is over with Auggie," I pointed to the two kids eating cookies at the kitchen table. "And this is Amabella." I bounced Amabella a little.

"Aww..." Riley's grandmother cooed over Amabella. "She yours?" She didn't even ask about my age or anything. I like her.

I lowered my voice. "Yeah... but um Riley doesn't know..... So could we uh just keep this uh little quiet, that would be great."

'Grandmother' smiled and moved on to Topanga in the kitchen.

'Grandpa' sighed and looked around, "Wow! Look at all these kids. It wasn't that long ago I had kids around the house."

Another person walked into the apartment. A teen not much older than me. He tossed 'grandpa' the keys, "Yeah, it was just this morning, wasn't it, Dad?" Maya stopped what she was doing. Oh, no. 

'Grandpa' tapped his finger to his temple. "Oh, yeah yeah, you." Then pointed at the teen. The Matthews have weird family members. At least when Aunt Barbara sacrificed cows she knew she was a little weird, and that many other people didn't do that.

"Boing!" Maya pointed at the teen.

"Ha, that's my uncle, Maya." Riley explained.

"Sweet, I would be your aunt." Maya pondered over this for a few seconds.

"Does he have a sister?" I leaned in.

"You two can't be my aunts!" Riley crushed our hopes.

"Joshie!" Auggie screamed and ran toward 'Joshie'. Clementine, not knowing what to do, followed in suit.

"Auggie!" He hugged Auggie and Clem. "And random girl I don't know!"

"I'm Clementine!" Clem held out her hand for 'Joshie' to shake. "I'm Auggie's former roommate."

"Roommate?"

"When my sister and nie-" Clem caught herself. "And my baby sister lived here, I shared a room with Auggie. He is my hypothetical brother."

"That's.... A lot of words for an eight year old." 'Joshie' nodded and moved on to greet other family members.

"My brotha'." Mr. Matthews greeted his 'brotha'.

"My brotha'." 'Joshi-whoever the hell this person was, greeted back.

"How's it possible we're brothers?" Oh, shit! Was I going to have to give the talk to Mr. Matthews? On Christmas day? What kind of household is this?

"Because....." The random dude turned to 'Grandpa'. "It's a surprise!"

The old man flinched. "Stop doing that."

"Aw, Dad, so proud of himself. He gets into movies for like a quarter." Damn, I want that deal.

"Uncle Josh!" Riley hugged 'Uncle Josh'.

"Riley." He hugged her back.

When he let go, Maya opened her arms, "Uncle Josh." I sat Amabella down on the floor and mimicked her actions.

"Uh... I'm not your uncle, Maya or random girl."

"Even better." Maya sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, I have no idea who you are." I told 'Uncle Josh', Maya and I are still hugging him.

Riley pulled Maya and I off him. "It's-It's been awhile." 'Uncle Josh' finally stuttered out staring at Maya.

"Nope, I have no idea who you are." I continued.

"Sure has." Maya smiled.

"Well...." 'Uncle Josh' trailed off. "Boy, you grew up gorgeous." He walked away and into the kitchen.

Maya smirked and Riley started to panic slightly. "You are not going to be my aunt."

Maya started to sing to ignore Riley's voice. We sat back down on the benches in the kitchen. I picked Amabella back up and started to play with her.

Then someone walked through the door. Clementine and I looked at each other in surprise. It was him. He was here. Obviously he hadn't noticed us yet, so we stayed quiet in the background.

"Gee, Cor, I thought you'd be more excited to see me." Shawn sat on the couch next to Auggie.

Mr. Matthews gasped. "Yay!" And hugged him. They stayed in a hug until Auggie finally had a chance to break out of the hug he was accidentally trapped in. 

We took this as our chance. "Gee, Shawn, we thought you'd be more excited to see us." I repeated what he said to Matthews.

Shawn turned in shock. "Munchkins?" 

"The one and only." Clementine laughed.

"It's been...." Shawn didn't know what to say.

"Two years." I told him.

"How do you guys know each other?" Riley asked.

"He was our foster parent a while ago. Before we moved in with the Friars." Clem explained not taking her eyes off the only nice foster parent we ever had.

Nobody talked for awhile. We just stood there awkwardly. 

"Cor, let's talk we got a lot to catch up on." Shawn finally turned to Cory and sat down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley, Maya, and I were sitting at the bay window. My arms were getting the break they needed from carrying Amabella around all night (technically Riley's grandma stole my daughter and hasn't given her back).

"So that's your Dad's me?" Maya asked.

"Uh-huh" Riley nodded.

"We're them?" I jumped in.

"Uh-huh"

"I don't see it." Maya and I said it at the same time shaking our heads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I wanna talk to you." Maya walked up to Shawn with her 'cool' exterior up to max.

"Did you not just hear our song?" Mr. Matthews was referring to the odd song about only Shawn and himself talking.

"What's that?" Shawn pointed at Maya.

"That's Maya. She thinks she's tough." Mr. Matthews acted as if he wasn't afraid of her.

"Scram."

Mr. Matthews shrunk away.

Shawn and Maya took a seat on the bay window (living room one). They stared at each awkwardly for a few seconds. Maya finally decided to break the silence. "I've heard stories about you. You're great in the stories. I don't see it yet."

"Okay."

"Riley, Maya and I are the best friends on this planet." I sat down next to them. 

"Well, that's cute." Shawn sighed. "'Cause Cory and I are the best friends in all of existence. Which includes your little crummy planet. Cory and I finish each other's....."

"SENTENCES!!"

"Yeah?" I started.

"Because Riley..." Riley jumped in.

"Revel," I spoke.

"And I..." Maya added in.

"Can read..."

"Each other..."

"MINDS!" We all said at the same time.

"What am I thinking of?" Riley asked us. "One, two, three!"

"Pizza! One, two, three, clouds! One, two, three, Farkle!" We all spoke while staring at Shawn and Mr. Matthews.

Matthews scoffed, "Yeah, right. Like we can't do that."

Shawn shook his head. "We can't."

"One, two, three! Rainbows!"

"Can't do it!" Matthews looks at Shawn disappointed. "That's pretty impressive. You're still not me and Cory."

"Why do you make Riley feel bad?" Maya asked. I tried not to look Shawn in the eyes. Shawn never purposely made anyone feel bad. He cancelled Thanksgiving once because he realized we didn't like to celebrate it. We spent that day binge watching "Avengers".

Shawn hesitated and the smile on his face disappeared. "I don't mean to. Revel, you know I would never try to make Riley feel bad."

"Well, you do." I joined Riley in looking at the floor.

"And that's not cool with me." Maya took Riley's hand. "'Cause we're her best friends. So I just wanted to tell you that."

We all stood up, but we barely took a step before Shawn stopped us. "Hey. Maybe you are like me and Cory."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finally got Amabella back from Riley's grandmother after pointing out the way Topanga was cooking (I deal with the lawsuit I'm probably getting from her later). Now I was watching Auggie, Clem, and Josh cover Mr. Matthew's sleeping father in Christmas lights while Mr. Matthews and Shawn were sleeping so no one could stop them.

"Should we be doing this?" Auggie questioned. 

"Absolutely."

Clem pointed at Josh, "I'm claiming you as a family member."

"Uh... pretty sure you can't do that."

"Huh... but my aunt did that to all of the doctors in the mental hospital... and now that I say that out loud I realize I probably shouldn't listen to her."

Riley and Maya stormed out of her bedroom and yelled at Shawn waking him up, "Why don't you like Riley?"

"Huh?"

"Whenever you do come here, It's like you find some excuse not to talk to me and then you leave."

"I talk to you. I'm talking to you right now."

"When's my birthday? What's my favorite color?"

"Riley, that stuff doesn't matter." Shawn looked to Cory for help.

Maya interrupted. "It does matter. Tell us what you know."

Cory tried to calm them down. "Girls... Shawn knows Riley's birthday." 

"How do you know?" I asked. 

"He knows."

Topanga interrupted them from asking more questions and demanding answers with the magical words, "Dinner, everybody!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Topanga looked at everyone in horror. "Five minutes?! That dinner took two days to cook. You animals ate it in five minutes!"

I gave Amabella some more mashed potatoes refusing to look Topanga in the eye. 

"What's for dessert, Mom?" Riley asked. Everyone sat up straighter at the words 'dessert'.

"Nothin'! I want you to sit there for two days and think about that dinner you just devoured, and then maybe I'll give you a cupcake."

"Well, I thought it was great, Topanga." Shawn complimented the food. 

"Yeah, Revel and I get take out every night or leftovers from her school." I eyed Clem warning her to shut up.

"I don't get a lot of home-cooked meals." 

"Oh, yeah. How's your job?" I asked.

"You do something?" Maya looked bewildered.

Shawn chuckled. "Yeah. I write for a site called 'Hit the Road.' Go to a lot of different places and tell you if it's worth a weekend."

"I-- I go on that site." Maya stuttered.

"Restless little spirit, huh?"

"No," Maya corrected. "I just think about--"

"Other places?"

"Sometimes."

"Yeah..."

"Yeah... You take the picture too."

"I do. How'd you guess that?"

"I draw pictures."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna say 'yeah last, okay?"

"Very mature."

"Yeah..."

Maya looked him straight in the eye and mouthed, "Yeah."

Shawn glared at Maya playfully.

"Okay, that's it. When's my birthday, uncle Shawn?" Riley interrupted the conversation.

Shawn looked at Cory exasperated. "He knows, Riley." Cory answered for him.

"You keep on saying that. Why won't he answer? What did I do?"

I knew I wasn't going to pass out like normally when I felt this flashback coming on because it would be embarrassing, but I also couldn't do anything to stop the flood of memories coming my way. 

"What did we do? What did I do?" I yelled at my dad through the glass panel separating us.

"You existed."

I blinked trying to remember that I wasn't in Texas anymore, but in New York with friends who won't put me in jail.

Shawn threw his napkin on the table. He stood up and grabbed his coat from beside the door. He motioned for Maya and Riley to grab there's and follow him. Me being me handed Amabella over to Riley's grandma who was over the moon, and grabbed my coat. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We sat at a booth in Mrs. Svorski's bakery. "December 8th." Shawn blurted out.

"What?" Riley looked up from her pastry.

"Your birthday?"

"That doesn't save you." Maya said. "I know her birthday, but I don't abandon my friends to hit the road." I winced at her words.

"Whoa." I mumbled.

"You think that's fair?" Shawn looked to Maya.

"I do."

"Then this is fair too. What time was she born? How much did she weigh? How tall was she?"

"Uh-oh."

"6:00 in the morning, seven pounds, four ounces, 21 inches. I was there all night." Shawn looked to Riley. "I was the first person to hold you after your parents. You looked like this." Shawn scrunched up his face.

"She still does." I looked at her face. Riley scrunched up her face like Shawn did and glared at me.

"Why do you remember it all so well?" Riley questioned.

Shawn winced. "It was the day I left New York City."

"City wasn't big enough for the both of you?" Maya joked.

"When people get married and they have kids, sometimes their old friends who didn't keep up start to feel a little out of place."

"Please don't make me the reason that you don't stick around." Riley pleaded.

"No, I'm the reason. It's on me. Your parents are the best people I've ever met in my life."

I looked at him. "What about mine." 

"Considering your dad is in jail and your mom tried to marry me in a drunken haze and then attempted to decapitate me I'm allowed to say that they are the worst people I've ever met."

"Then you should really love Riley." I told him. "She didn't come from a screwed up family that tried to kill you. Because I love her. I mean... She's exactly like her parents."

"And you are not." Shawn reminded me. He sighed and looked down at his coffee.

"He does love me." Riley realized. 

"What?"

"He loves my parents and I come from them, so he loves me. He loves me so much that he can't even look at me."

"I'm right here." He pointed out.

"Shut up, Hunter!" I elbowed him.

Riley got up and switched places with me. She was sitting next to Shawn and I sat next to Maya now. "Look at me." She said to Shawn.

Shawn avoided looking directly at her. "I'm looking at you."

She turned his head to look at her. "Look at me." She commanded in a deep voice. Shawn chuckled. "What?"

"You're Cory with Topanga's hair. You got lucky."

We laughed. "Is it okay if I say something scary?" Riley started. 

"I hardly think a 13-year-old girl can say something that would scare me."

"Every time you see me, does it remind you of what you don't have?"

"Check!" He yelled out waving over a waitress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We barged into the house. I pointed over to the adults, "Get in there!"

"Uh, Revel, you do not command a grown man."

"Okay, I'm just commanding Shawn." I looked at Shawn and made the 'cuckoo' symbol. "You!" I pointed at him.

"Who, me?"

"Both of you. Go to Riley's room." They both sighed but followed my directions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Riley watched the door and Maya watched the window, I was trying to get my daughter back.

"I think I need to feed her."

"I'll do it!"

"Maybe she also needs to be changed,"

"I'll do it! I'll do it all! Let me hold her please." She begged.

"Alright, alright."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clem, Amabella, and I headed home after watching them open presents. I had a surprise for Clem. Even though it might not seem like much to others, it means a lot to her. So the bookshelf and book series I bought was the best she ever got, but being able to spend Christmas like a normal-ish family for once was my greatest gift. And the leftovers Topanga gave to me.


	16. Girl Meets Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game night turns everyone against each other.

"Did you tell them yet? Did he freak? Did she tell you? Did you freak? Show me what you did. Freak out for me." Maya, Clem, and I barged into Riley's apartment. Maya was asking question after question.

"Why would I freak out?" Mr. Matthews started to freak out. He turned to Topanga, "I don't freak out." Then he faced Riley. "What did you do?!"

Riley smiled tightly holding in the secret. Thankfully Auggie and the boy Maya was crushing on, came in. "Family game night, now with extra family." Auggie announced, pointing to Josh. 

"Well, hello." Maya purred and twirled her hair.

"Well, hello." Auggie twisted his hair on his finger mimicking Maya.

Maya glared and turned to face the other direction. 

"Auggie didn't want to miss game night. We never made it out of the city. Oh, here's your money." Josh remembered and handed a dollar to Matthews.

"Hey, this is a dollar." Matthews complained. "I gave you a hundred."

Josh looked at him knowingly, "With that kind of money, you think we're not gonna buy steaks?"

Auggie lifted up his shirt and patted his stomach, "Thank you, papa."

"Look if you're not going to use that, I need it." Clem took the dollar from Cory's hands.

"You know what?" Mr. Matthews slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "My brother!" He opened his arms for a hug.

"My brother!" The two brothers hugged.

"Listen, you're here for game night. You're family, you're in." He leaned in closely. "I'd make the three non-family members leave, but they terrify me."

The intercom buzzed, "Farkle." Came the voice of the resident genius (well other genius).

"And Lucas."

Riley skipped over to the intercom by the door in her bunny slippers. "Come on up."

"Topanga." Matthews whispered not so quietly to his wife. "It's happening. I thought we had a few more years."

"Calm down."

"No calm. It's happening right now. Riley invited her friends to Family Game Night."

I shrugged. "I don't know why you are so mad. At least she has friends who don't only use you to win poker."

Cory looked at me with sympathy then anger. "Not helping." He turned and walked over to his daughter. "Riley, shnookums. Um, you're gonna have to start to prioritize what's more important to you. You're family, huh?" He guestered over to the table where we all sat. I guess I was no longer the scary friend and a family member. Or your friends? There is only one right answer."

"Why do I--"

"Wrong answer."

Have to choose between--"

"Wrong answer."

"I love my friends and I want to hang out with my friends." Riley finalized and walked to the door to greet her friends. "Welcome to Family Game Night, friends."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong answer."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maya, Clem, Farkle, Lucas, and Auggie sat in the living room while we watched Riley argue with her father. I'm not sure if they realize that we can hear them yet.

"Get rid of them." Cory ordered.

"Why do you have to be you all the time?"

"You think it's easy?" He turned to face Topanga who was standing behind him. "Say goodbye to your daughter, honey. She has chosen her friends over her family."

Topanga looked conflicted. She loved between her daughter and husband. "Why can't we just play with her friends?"

"Because Topanga, I was fine with Maya, Clem, and Revel but the second she allowed Dr. Turtleneck and Mr. Howdy into our household, our family was compromised by interlopers." He finally turned around to see all of us watching him.

"Maybe we could just come back another time." Lucas offered.

"Oh, yeah, we don't have walls." Cory, the idiot, realized. He turned back to Topanga and started whispering furiously.

"Dr. Turtleneck, I presume." Josh greeted Farkle.

"How could you tell?" Farkle held out his hand.

Josh looked at his orange turtleneck he was wearing and back at the face of Farkle. "Oh, because-- you just seem like a doctor to me."

"Thank you!"

"Thank you."

Farkle sat back down and Josh held out his hand to Lucas, "And you must be--"

"Howdy."

"See this?" Cory came into the living room holding the game board. "The Family Game. The game for families." He read word for word on the board. "Not the friends game, a game for friends. I saw that game. I didn't buy that game. I bought this one," He looked at Topanga. "Because I used to have a family."

"Will you stop?" Topanga rolled her eyes.

"How could she choose her friends over us? I mean, did they burp her? Did they change her diapers?"

"We haven't yet," Farkle started.

"Yet?" I questioned. "I hope never. No offense."

"But we will when she's old." Farkle finished.

"Speak for yourself, honey. I know that I have the absolute love and loyalty of my children who like me fine and always will."

"Everybody's here. Everybody plays." Riley said to her mom.

Topanga nodded agreeing. "Cory, flipping out is only gonna make things worse. Do you really want to drive her away?"

"Yeah, Dad." Riley stood up with the popcorn bucket and joined Matthews in standing on the couch. "It's like what you were teaching today."

I leaned close to Maya, "We had school today?"

"I was teaching about the American Revolution, Riley. How is this anything like the American Revolution? How?"

"Let's think."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier That Day

Maya, Riley, Farkle, Lucas, Clem, and I stood outside of the classroom door, waiting for our cue. We were all dressed up in ridiculous outfits. Farkle as King George III, Riley as John Adams, Maya as Benjamin Franklin (her outfit was the worst), Lucas as George Washington, Clem as Alexander Hamilton, and me as Thomas Jefferson. All in all they may have been some founding fathers or some shit, but they had the most ridiculous outfits.

"Ladies and gentleman, I give you The Revolutionary War!" Farkle walked in at Mr. Matthew's dramatic words.

"Subjects." Farkle greeted the classroom. "It is I, King George III, ruler of the British Empire. Now, where is that rebellious John Adams? Who dares chooses his American friends over his king?"

Riley ran into the room, knocking Farkle down in the process. "Here I am! John Quincy Adams."

"Riley, uh, you're actually John Adams." Matthews corrected.

"Who's that?" Riley's voice obviously got quiet, but because of the thin walls in our school, we could still hear her loud and clear.

"John Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams."

"But our school is John Quicny Adams."

"My school was John Adams."

"Your school was the father of my school?"

"Does that make sense to you?"

"None of this does."

"I'm also gonna be your teacher next year."

"You're kidding me."

"Now back to the story."

Riley shuffled back up to the front of the class, "It is I, John Not Quincy Adams." We could hear Riley moving back to her father. "Wait, why'd they name the school after this guy? I mean, he must have done something."

"He did. He did something, we're gonna get to it." Mr. Matthews raised his voice as if he was addressing the whole class (he probably was). "So, John Adams, where are your rebel friends?"

"With me as always." Lucas walked into the door frame and I had to hold back a laugh. "Hark!" Riley yelled upon seeing him. "Here's one right now. Looking good Georgie Washington."

"John," Lucas scowled Riley. "You're embarrassing me."

"Good! Now, may I introduce, he is crazy smart, he's rocking granny glasses, the old kite flyer himself, Benjamin Franklin."

After pushing Maya through the door with a few laughs at her appearance, Riley introduced Clem's and I's characters. Now we stood in front of the class like idiots. 

Farkle made a flirty comment at Maya and I. I glared at him and asked, "When do we get rid of this guy?"

"Right now!" Riley announced. "King George, the American colonies want their freedom."

Farkle walked up to Riley, "You belong to me, and I will never let you go. It's the King's Law."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You belong to me until you're eighteen." Cory told Riley still standing on the couch and clutching the board game. "It's the law."

"Whatever you say, King George." Riley snarked.

"King George III's full name was George William Frederick." Clem blurted out (she blurts out random facts when she's in stressful situations). "The moon has moonquakes."

"Stop calling me that." Cory whined.

"What's the matter?" Maya questioned. "Pops doesn't like pop's lesson?"

"Yeah."

"Listen guys," Matthews tried to explain. "Not everything I teach you in class applies to our lives."

"It does, every time, sir."

"Every time." I stretched out the word.

"Okay, game is all set up. Are we doing this thing or not?" Josh looked to everyone for clarification.

Cory crossed his arms over his chest. "No." He pouted.

"Yes." Riley countered.

"Do you guys even know how to play the Family Game?" Matthews asked all of us.

Maya stood and walked over near our insane teacher. "Let me teach you." She pushed him down.

"Okay."

"Because I'm always here, and you can't get rid of me. Always wins." She points to Topanga. She points to Riley next. "Always eats too much popcorn and says 'I'm never eating popcorn again'."

"It's so delicious." Riley complains with her mouth full.

Maya points to me. "Starts taking bets on everyone and leaves the house with Matthews wallet." I shrugged, not bothering to deny anything. She points to Clem next, "Always gangs up with Topanga and threatens everyone with terrifying logic."

"Would you be on my team, Uncle Josh?" Auggie pleaded with Josh.

"Try and stop me."

Maya raced over and grabbed Josh's hand, "Okay, I'll stop you. You're on my team."

"He's my uncle."

"He's my husband." With those words Auggie let go of his Uncle's hand and apologized snarkily.

"It says here the goal is to get into one of the four success squares with your teammate." Farkle read from the instruction manual.

"And then you win. It makes this sound." Clem pushed the button in the middle.

With the jazzy ding that came out, Topanga jumped up. "I win! Oh, it hasn't happened yet."

"What's the big circle in the middle for?" Lucas pointed to the 'no-go' area.

"Oh, we don't go there. If even one person goes in there, then you have to play the long game." I explained.

"What's the long game?" Farkle and his curious brain questioned.

"I don't know we've never played it."

"Intriguing. Should we find out?"

"No." Topanga shook her head. "It takes forever."

"And you don't get to hear this." Matthews reached over all of us and hit the winning button.

"I win! Oh, something's wrong with me." The doorbell rang (probably just neighbors to complain about their arguing). "I win! Oh, my goodness."

"Now who could that be?" Matthews glared at the unopened door as if he already knew the devil was standing behind it.

Auggie opened the door to a bubbly girl around his age. The girl I recognized as Ava, the next door neighbor.

"Hi, Auggie. Hey, you're playing a game? Can I be on your team?" The girl spoke a million miles per minute.

Auggie took her hand and led her to a side of the table. "You're on your own, pal." He warned Josh. "My woman's here."

"Sure, Auggie. Bring your woman in. Let's bring in everybody. Why don't we put up signs on the telephone poles next to the cats and the dogs. Matthews Family Game Night. Only not really, it's kind of Everybody Family Game Night. Isn't it? Huh? Isn't it?"

"There's the freak out." Maya laughed. "Best show in town. Do you feel better now, buddy?"

"I do, thank you."

"Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, well." Maya sat in between Matthews and Josh. "Looks like everybody's all partnered up except for lil ol' us. Huh. I could pick you." She leaned toward Josh. "Or I could pick you." She glanced over at Matthews giving him a look of disgust. "Or I could pick you." She leaned back onto Josh. "Or I could pick you." She glanced at Cory. "Yeah, well, you see, you-" She pointed to Cory. "Represent homework and no fun, while you-" She turned to Josh with a seductive tone, "Are so handsome it kind of makes my eyes hurt."

"Okay, here's what I'm gonna do." Josh decided and stood up. "I'm gonna be the game show host is what I'm gonna do. 'Cause they stand. And they move." 

Matthews pulled Maya onto the couch as she tried to follow Josh. "Hiya, partener."

"Oh, boy."

Josh put on his announcer voice and started reading off the instructions. "And fame show hosts make sure everyone follows the rules and plays fair. Especially this one." He motioned to Ava who was shoving the fake dollars into her pocket.

"Ava!" Auggie whined.

"Shh." She shushed him. "I'm doing this for us, baby."

"Okay. The object of this game is to create a family, protect it, and get safely through a world of obstacles that will test how strong your family is. The winner of the short game is the first team to end up in one of the four success squares with a car and a house."

Ava turned to Auggie and demanded, "Get me a car and a house."

"I'm trying."

"Okay. Um, Maya and I up first. We'll go first." Cory picked the dice up and started to roll it. 

"Oh, says who?" Riley looked over to her father.

"Says the king of the castle."

"Just because you're the king, doesn't mean you get to make all of the rules."

"Oh, yeah? That's actually the first rule in the king's handbook."

"Well," Lucas, who was being squished by Riley and Cory on the couch, pushed himself free and stood up. "It's been a lovely evening. And now I need a hug from my mama."

"Mama?" Maya couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Yeah. What do you call your mama?" He asked Josh.

"Ma. Try it out."

"Ma. Nah, she'd put me in the shed."

Clem shuddered, "I accidently broke a sheep's leg back in Texas and was sent to the shed for an hour, I will never forget the spiders crawling in the shadows."

"You know what," Riley decided. "Dad, you may be the king, but I am going first." Riley took the dice from his hand and threw it onto the table. Cory gasped dramatically.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Farkle gasped dramatically, "You are staging an act of open rebellion against your king."

"You have left the colonies no choice but to break away from you and become independent." Riley said. 

"Because you're fighting for the sake of your families." Cory jumped in.

"And friends."

"And family is the most important thing in the world."

"And friends."

"Riley, you don't think family should come first?"

Riley turned to face her father, "I cannot do this right now. I am in the middle of a rebellion."

"Oh, yeah." He turned Riley to face Farkle.   
"Oh, yeah? Let's see how your little rebellion fares against the might of the British Empire." Farkle opened the door to the classroom to reveal a cannon.

"Whoa, Farkle." I gasped. "Where'd you get the cannon?"

"From my cannon guy."

Lucas raised his hand from where he was standing. "Yes, General Washington." Cory called on him.

"You really have to wonder if the king wasn't so stubborn, could something have been worked out so America would still be in the British family?" Lucas and his almighty wisdom asked.

"A nation or a family can only remain united if it's leaders govern fairly and address the needs of all of its members. Both old and young."

"Well, I'm not gonna." Farkle announced still near his cannon. "So let's get this party started." Farkle looked inside his cannon. "Is this thing loaded?" Farkle fell into the cannon.

Maya popped out from behind the cannon holding a lighted sparkler, "It is now. Happy fourth of July, everybody."

"Maya, the war hasn't even started yet." Clem tried to tell her.

"You're gonna love Boston." Maya spoke to Farkle who was still inside the cannon.

"When am I going to Boston?"

Maya lowered the sparkler slowly and we all rushed out of the way, "In five... four, three..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"....Four, five, six, and as usual I will choose the fatherhood path. Bing, bing, bing, bing." Cory moved his pieces across the board. "And the pink square means..." He picked up a pink piece of paper. "I get a daughter."

"Actually sir, Farkle and I already own that square." Lucas informed the teacher. The teacher tried to pretend he didn't know what that meant. "So, you're daughter's ours."

"Excuse me." Mr. Matthews looked like he was having a heart attack. 

"Let him talk." Riley perked up with interest.

"According to the game, they get your daughter." Clem added in.

Topanaga had to hold Riley back from jumping into Lucas's arms.

"Josh!" Cory tried to consult his brother.

"She's not Riley Matthews anymore, my brother. She's now Mrs. Dr. Howdy Turtleneck.  
Cory handed over the pick slip, but wasnt letting go, and ended up ripping it.

"My turn!" Ava decided. "I pick six." 

"Uh, Ava you need to roll the dice." Topanga tried.

"One, two, three four five six."

Topnaga stood up quickly, "Josh, objection!"

"I'm going to allow it."

"Why?"

"'Cause she cracks me up."

Ava continued to play her turn, "I get a... make your own luck card. Take over someone's family business. Choose one player to send back to start. I choose... hmm... one Topanga, two Topanga, three Topanga, four. Five Topanga, six Topanga, seven Topagna, or...Topanga!" She decided. She picked up Topanga's piece and slowly moved it to the start.

"This stinks."

"This had to be done, Mommy." Auggie told his mother.

Topanga pinched his cheeks, "It's okay, my lovebug. Luckily, my team always wins. And my teammate has a turn, and I'm sure she's going to use it to help me." Riley looked at her apologetically. "Right, Riley? Sweetheart?"

Riley looked at the card she got. "Mom, I really hate to do this but I have a go to Europe with a friend card. And you're all the way back there. And I've never been to Europe."

"I want to go to Europe." Ava turned to Auggie. 

"Get off my back!"

"Wait, you're leaving me?"

"Mom, it is not personal, I just got this card and--"

"Wait, you're leaving me?"

"Here it comes." Cory warned.

"I am your mother. I have your absolute love and loyalty. What do you think you're talking to him?" Topagna pointed to her husband.

"Hey, Farkle." Cory was about to do something risky. "How do you do that again?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?" Cory made a strange noise that resembled Farkle's laugh.

"Now you run, sir." I advised.

"No, actually now I go right over here which is exactly where I belong." Cory walked on the couch to sit right next to his pissed wife.

"Well, this game just got real. Will the daughter go off on her own or does the mother hold on to her forever?"

"I'm sorry, Mommy." Riley scooted next to her best friend. "Partners?"

"Forever." Maya declared.

"Riley?" Topanga looked heartbroken.

"Mom, I am just playing a game. Isn't that what you want me to do? Win?"

"Not without me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Game over. God bless America." Riley waved a flap over Farkle who collapsed on the ground.

"How could you do this?" He asked. "My kingdom.I have nothing left."

"Actually, you still have India, Ireland, Australia, Shakespeare, Dickens, and the Beatles." Clem helped him up.

"Oh, yeah. Who needs you anyway?" Farkle laughed maniacally.

"You know you do." Riley wrapped her arm around Farkle.

We all went back to our seats and Matthews went into a lecture as if we didn't just reenact the whole war. "The Revolutionary War ended in 1783 leaving a rift between England and the United States."

"But we love each other now, though, right?" Lucas clarified, confused.

"We do, but it took some time. In fact, it wasn't until 1814, when another american helped mend that relationship." Cory brought Riley up to the front of the room. "His name, Riley, was John Quincy Adams."

"Oh." Riley realized. "That's what the kid did."

"That's right. See, it took the next generation to bring everybody together."

I said, "So people that go to war can actually become friends?"

"Revolution is a short moment in time. But if you play the long game correctly, everybody can end up just where they're supposed to be."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Someone has to get a 12. Anything but a 12. Nobody throw a 12." Cory pleaded with all of us. 

"12!" I exclaim looking at the dice.

"Oh, thank goodness. It's over." Lucas sighed relieved.

"No, it's not. I'm not going for the success square." Riley declared. "I'm going for the circle in the middle. We are going to play the long game."

"What?"

"You could win." Topanga pointed out.

Josh held a whisk to his mouth as if it were a microphone, "Dude, why would you do that?"

"Because tonight The Family Game is not about winning."

"Uh, say what?" Topanga leaned into her daughter.

"Mom, I was only trying to beat you because I want you to be proud of me."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I want to be like you."

"You do?"

"A killer shark who always wins?"

"That is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard."

"So tonight, let's find out what happens when you play the long game."

"I'm never gonna see my mama again." Lucas groaned.

"I wanted someone to land on the success square." Clem complained. "I kind of wanted to hear-" Clem hit the button in the middle.

"I win!" Topanga shot up. "Seriously, help me."

Josh looked at the instructions, "In the long game, the players all play together to conquer the game itself."

"So we're all on one big team then?" Cory clarified.

"If you'll let us be." Riley put her arm on his shoulder. "And Dad, I promise that nobody is going anywhere."

"Well, Riley, you know what?" Cory stood up from his spot on the couch. "If these are the people you've chosen to leave us for someday, they're welcome to play with us anytime. You've made some wonderful choices."

"You're gonna buy The Friends Game?"

"Yeah."

Can we play that one with you guys?" Topanga stood up with her husband.

"Anytime you want." Maya said.

"You're a good king." I told Matthews because it was true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later we were still playing the game. Clem was asleep, and the rest of us were curled up in blankets. 

"Well, birds are chirping. Sounds of a sleepy city coming to life as the sun peeks it's smiling face... yeah okay." Josh stuttered as he looked at Maya's half asleep form. "Upon eight tired game players. And if Auggie Matthews can roll a two, then we will finally find out what happens when you win the long game."

"Nobody can roll a two." Topanga and her negative thoughts escaped her mouth.

"We pick two." Ava declared.

"You know what, Ava? I finally like you." Topanga decided.

"Okay." Ava moved the piece into the middle and pushed on the big round circle. It buzzed but nothing else happened.

"That's it?" I questioned.

The game chimed again and whirred. 

"Hold on." Matthews saw the gears in the board working.

The circle in the middle rose up and glass lights popped up lighting the room in beautiful colors. 

"And as everyone is joined together, we see that in the long game, friends become family." Josh spoke into the spatula.


	17. Girl Meets Master Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya’s birthday stirs up a plan.

Riley and I were finishing up our presents for Maya. Riley refused to tell me what she got Maya so the big box in her hand was a surprise for both me and Maya when she opened it. I got Maya some painting supplies. It wasn't the best or anywhere near it, because I wasn't rich and I barely had enough to make rent, but it was still a nice present if you ask me.

We walked over to the bay window when we heard Maya's feet against the metal balcony. We both held out our perfectly wrapped (If I do say so myself) presents. Maya entered the room and eagerly took the presents from us. 

"Happy 14, Maya!" I greeted her. My fourteenth birthday was spent in a jail cell, but Riley and Maya didn't need to know that.

Maya ripped off the top of Riley's present to reveal another wrapped box. She opened the top again to another wrapped box. She glared at Riley. 

"How's 14? Tell me what it's like to be 14, but don't leave anything out." Riley asked as if she gained superpowers and not woke up like any other day.

"So far it's a lot of work." She sighed as she opened the box to... guess what? Reveal another box.

"Because you know I'll be there soon, and I want to know what I have to look forward to."

"Well, if you're like me, you can look forward to your mother forgetting your birthday." Maya warned Riley and me (mostly me).

"Thank you for the heads up." I thanked her jokingly.

"Oh, no she did not!" Riley tried to climb out the window but I grabbed on to her shirt before she could get anywhere.

"Where you goin', honey?" I asked.

"Must talk to Maya's mom."

"Must not get involved." I told her.

"Why do you tell me these things if you don't expect me to fix them?" She questioned Maya with the face of a sad puppy. She turned to me. "And you! Why don't you ever let me help her fix these problems?"

"Because Maya doesn't want you to get involved." I explained. "We must respect her wishes."

"When you're 14, you'll understand." Maya told Riley and we fist bumped.

"How could you mother forget your birthday, Maya?"

"I've stopped trying to figure it out. She was already gone when I woke up this morning. She probably just took an early shift at the diner."

"Rather than be there for your birthday? Unh-uh!" Riley tried to climb out the window again. And once again, I held her back.

"Riley, not everything is black and white-"

"Well duh there's colors all around us."

"It's a saying." I cut her off. "As I was saying it's not all black and white or right or wrong. You can't just storm into a diner and demand Katie to drop her shift or something like that. It's not as easy or right as it seems."

Maya opened the last box to find three rings. "Riles, a friendship ring."

"Yeah." She was still trying to escape against my grip.

"Three of them."

"Yeah!"

"In case I lose one."

Riley stopped struggling. "No."

"Well, anybody else would have just gotten me one."

"No."

"Oh, I get it."

"Yeah." 

"One for each hand and my nose."

"No."

Maya smiled and put her ring on. "I'll never take this off until I die." She promised.

"You'll probably die before me since you're older." Riley said. "Should I tell the people not to take it off your dead corpse body?"

"Yeah, would you do that for me?"

"And, Maya, the other rings--"

"Are for you two." She handed me one of the pretty rings and I slipped in on my ring finger.

"Yeah."

"Oh, no. If you're not there, who's going to tell the people not to take it off my dead corpse's body?" Riley realized. I laughed and leaned in to hug Riley and Maya.

"Happy birthday, Maya."

"Thanks for not forgetting."

"Never-"

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me." Riley attempted to climb out the window again, but like always Maya and I held her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley, Maya, and I walked through the door to see Shawn. I think it took Riley a few minutes to register that it was actually him because she walked straight past him. She turned back around, "Are you really here?"

"Yep, I'm here." Shawn stood up and hugged Riley. Then he turned to Maya and me and gave us awkward hugs.

"It's her birthday, squeeze her good." Riley told Shawn when he hugged Maya.

"Oh, happy birthday, kiddo. You doing something special?"

"This is it."

Cory and Topanga barged through the door. Cory was walking backwards and Topanga was demanding him to hide a cake. "Honey, hide the cake before Maya gets here."

"I know, but you know what we should do? We should bring this cake to Maya's mother just in case she forgot to get her own kid a cake." Cory offered. He still hadn't realized we were right behind him.

Topanga on the other hand was a lot smarter than her husband and saw us watching the scene. "Oh, you think that could actually happen?"

"Honey, I grew up with Shawn Hunter. Remember his mother? She forgot where she lived. See, my biggest worry is that forgetting to give your kid a cake is the first step to forgetting where you live."

"Oh, that's not your biggest worry anymore." Topanga warned him.

Cory seemed to understand part of what was going on. "Maya's behind me, isn't she? Why is everybody always behind me?" This just has me wondering how many times this has happened. "Okay, Maya, I'm not going to turn around because I'm all embarrassed. But you know how much I like your mother."

"I know you do. You always defend her." Maya agreed.

"Because at least she's not..."

"No, everything's fine! Stop talking." Topanga tried to stop him from making a mistake.

"...Revel or Shawn's mother! What cuckoos. 'Ah, it's Tuesday! I better run away!' Or 'I lost my eyes! I lost my eyes! I can't hear!'" Cory broke out into laughter. "You have to laugh, huh, Topanga?" Topanga's face told him all. "Nice face."

"You want to turn around or you want me to turn you around?" Topanga asked.

"How you doin', Shawn, Revel?" Cory called out, still too embarrassed to turn around.

"I can't hear out of my eyes." I offered.

"And it ain't Tuesday, so pretty good." Shawn finished.

"Shawny!" Cory finally turned around excited. He threw the cake up (Topanga caught it thankfully). He ran and hugged Shawn. The rest of us had to throw ourselves over the couch so we wouldn't get trampled. "How you doin', buddy?" 

"Just here doing a photo essay-- 'Weekends in New York for under $100.' It's impossible. Can I stay here?"

"We found him on the couch. Can we keep him?" Riley treated Shawn as if he was a puppy.

"Wait a minute. Who let you in? And aren't you supposed to be working?" She turned to me at the last question.

"I have a key."

"I took a different shift." My answer was ignored by Topanga and Cory though.

"You gave him a key?" Topanga looked pissed.

"Fine. I'll give you a key."

"You love me!" Topanga tried.

"I do love you." Cory admitted. "You have the key to my heart." I faked gagging at his words. Romance sucks. What do people see in other people? 

"So who has the key to your heart?" Riley sat next to Shawn after her father got up.

"Yeah, you ever been in love or what?" I joked knowing all about Angela.

"Angela time?" He asked the room.

"Yes!" I pumped my fist up. "I love Angela time. It's awful."

"Seems unavoidable." Cory agreed after my outburst.

"Angela-- spill it." I ordered.

"Yeah, was she all tortured poet-wanderer-female-you type?" Maya guessed.

"You guys want to know how they fell in love?" Cory turned to all of us as if we were in class.

"He went through her purse." I interrupted.

"What?" Riley was taken aback.

"I can explain that."

"Girls, trust us, it was very romantic in high school." Topanga assured Maya and Riley.

"So basically he fell in love with a concept?"

"It was doomed from the start."

"Never let me do that."

"I would kill it immediately. That's what best friends are supposed to do." Maya listen to yourself you idiot. I mentally screamed at her.

"Ring power!" Maya held up her finger with her ring on it.

"Ring power!" Riley and I copied.

"Thunder!" 

"Lightning!"

"Rain!"

Shawn slowly lowered our hands in the air. 

"So where's Angela now?" I questioned even though I knew all of this, I just liked hearing the story of a failed romance.

"You know this story!" He rolled his eyes, but humored me. "I don't know. I tried to make it work."

"But you couldn't commit?" Maya offered.

"No." He looked offended. "You know, people have it all wrong about me. I-- I was all in. She's the one who left. I got left."

Maya and I stopped smiling. I've heard the story many times, never with that explanation though, and... it just reminded of all the times I've been left.

"..your list?" Maya asked Shawn.

"Mother, father, girlfriend." Shawn listed off. Oh, we're naming people that disappointed us, this could be a while.

"Wow. What is it with us?" I laughed slightly at the messed up lives we shared.

"What is it with us?" Maya chuckled too.

Riley stood up suddenly. "Window! Window right now!" She ordered. Maya and I got up, but she motioned for Maya to sit back down. "Not you."

"But it's my birthday." She whined.

"Yeah. I know." She pointed to her mother. "You."

"Really?" She jumped up all excited.

"And you!" She pointed to her father.

"Oh, boy!" He shouted, acting like a tiny puppy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, I have heard all of the stories. But tell me the truth, Mom. When you guys were my age, was Dad really that good at schemes?" We all sat down at the bay window.

"Schemes?" Topanga acted confused. 

"You know, rackets, scams, pulling stuff on people, changing their lives."

"Cory Matthews was the best there ever was." Topanga looked at her husband, all lovey dovey.

"Why?" I was confused. In the stories I heard, he was a big doofus, but those were all from Feeny.

"Well, because when he believes in something, his will is stronger than anybody's."

"I'm retired." Cory held up his hand before Riley could go on.

"But what if I believed in something?" Riley asked.

"Your move." Topanga leaned into Cory.

"Riley, you want to pull me back in the game, then this has to be monumental. A scheme of schemes. Schemetata de schemetata."

"What's that mean?" I asked Topanga.

"He's making it up."

"Makes sense."

"A scheme that makes the angels sing. Otherwise, I'm out forever. You hear me?!" We all turned to him. He was facing the wrong direction. "Now you've got one minute, Riley. Wow me."

Then Riley said something that had me falling off the bay window. "I want Shawn to be Maya's dad."

"Wow." Cory sighed.

"Riley, you can't just want Shawn to be Maya's father." Topanga argued, helping me up. "Your dad can't possibly make that happen. Can you?"

"Tough one." Cory agreed in his limited vocabulary. "It's the stuff legends are made of. But if we can pull it off, it would make the angels sing."

Cory Matthews- The Fixer

"I want to do this with you, Dad. Teach me. I want to do it for Maya."

Riley Matthews- The Apprentice

"Riley, I don't want you to get your hopes up. But if there is anyone in the world who has a chance of pulling this off, it's him."

Topanga Matthews- The Inspiration

"Can't we just... I don't know... chose an easier scheme? Like getting Katy flowers and saying there from Shawn, not... I don't know, making Shawn her father."

Revel Tien- The Lazy One

Everyone ignored me. Cory continued on explaining what they'd need. "Well, the best master plan involves how well we know our two subjects."

Shawn Hunter- The Fixer's Best Friend

Maya Hart- The Apprentice's Best Friend

"We got rings." Riley held up her hand with the ring on it and I followed in suit.

"So do we." Cory bragged and Topanga held up her hand. "Shawn gave me mine when I was 25 years old." Topanga dropped her hand and glared at her idiot husband. "Your mother won't let me wear it." He got over his minute of self-pity and continued. "Okay, so the next step in our plan is we need a cutting-edge tech guy."

"Ladies." Farkle greeted us.

"Farkle." We all answered the problem from before.

"Want to see my new computer watch? Sure, it looks like an old calculator watch, but I updated the hard drive and added an interesting new feature." He pushed a button and in Riley's voice it spoke. "Riley is within five feet of you."

"Hey, that's my voice."

"Yeah, I've been recording it for years. But don't worry, I would never take advantage of it." He pushed another button and Riley's voice spoke again. "I love you, Farkle."

"Well, I guess we found our tech guy." I realized.

Farkle Minkus- The Wonk

"So the team's complete." Riley observed.

"No quite yet, Riley." Cory stopped her. "See, the best master plan usually involves a distraction. And usually it comes in the form of a pretty face."

"Oh, you guys." Topanga looked so happy until she realized we were looking at Lucas from behind her.

"Hi, everybody." He greeted.

Topanga grabbed his face. "Yeah, okay." She agreed.

' 

Lucas Friar- The Face

"That's how you think of me?" He looked disappointed in all of us, but I could tell he was acting.

"A lot of the time, yeah." Riley admitted.

"Okay,"

The Master Plan- Step 1- "Set The Trap"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was given the task to watch Katy while they set up their plan. Which was okay with me because I had to get to work. Immediately I was pulled aside by Katy.

"Hey," I waved to her, still trying to tie my apron on.

"I know you think I forgot Maya's birthday." She blurted out.

"What.... No... Yeah, I totally thought you did." I couldn't lie to her, it's like she could see into my soul. "You didn't, right?"

"Of course not!" She snapped. "Sorry.... I just got this really nice necklace for Maya, but had to pick up an extra shift to pay for it. So.. Can you just tell me if I have to expect an angry Cory and Topanga later or not?"

"Worse." I grimace.

"What's worse than them?"

"Riley Matthews and Shawn Hunter."

The Master Plan- Dispose Of The Crappy Plan- "Hide!"


End file.
